


Anywhere

by triumphmusic1980



Category: Avantasia
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triumphmusic1980/pseuds/triumphmusic1980
Summary: In the quest for truth, Aaron makes a mistake he might not be able to reverse. A friend is lost, and worlds are colliding. Tensions rise and drastic changes are made, leaving everyone shaken. Can Aaron right his wrong, or will he be forced to eternally face the horrid consequences of his actions?
Comments: 23
Kudos: 4





	1. Let The Storm Descend

Aaron had never been one to back down from a challenge. He always gave Scarecrow a hard time for his impulsive tendencies, but Aaron himself knew he had his own self-centered moments. If told something wasn’t possible, he would spend days to weeks of his life _making_ it possible. He did this whether it was scientifically plausible or not and nothing could get in his way when he had an endgame goal to reach.

This week was one of those weeks.

He had been working with some newer modern electrical technology and had begun mixing it with the tech from his world. The things from his world always ended up being…unstable. They could alter reality in ways he couldn’t always predict. Time and time again he had played God with these devices and time and time again he regretted it. They never worked right. But still…they kept calling to him.

The enlightened understanding of the unknown was always so close to Aaron, and just once he wanted to make something in this style that worked as it should. He knew it was risky, but he had learned a long time ago that came with the job. Besides, whenever he did these projects now, he made sure to keep away from the others. No more temporal mishaps. If something went wrong, it would affect him and him alone. He was willing to take that risk in the name of science.

He was at his desk where another clock-looking device sat, though this time he had completely mixed it with modern tech he had found. He had it wired up to the house, as this one needed sufficient power and couldn’t stand alone. This one was one he had sitting in the back of his mind for years.

The four of them had traversed dimensions to reach this world, but none knew exactly what caused it. Aaron had suspicions it may have been his doing as he was in the process of dealing with the cultist’s time machine when he was carried over, but he was never sure. But the thought kept returning to him. The agonizing curious thought.

Could he hone this dimensional power? Use it? Study it? Aaron couldn’t say. He was just blindly traveling down a dangerous road he really shouldn’t be traversing, and yet…

He set the device on his desk.

He didn’t want to return home. He had no intention to, nor did the others. He simply wanted to see if it was possible, or maybe understand what brought the four of them together in the first place. He just wanted to understand the mystery that the universe had taunted them with for years. He just wanted to know.

He heard voices upstairs. The others were in the living room. Good. He began flipping the switches on the device to run a small test. That’s all this was. A small test to see if he could hone that dimensional energy.

That’s all this was.


	2. See Through The Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go south when Aaron's device malfunctions.

“Where are they?”

“In the drawer under the TV.”

“Which one?”

“Uhh left I think…”

Gabriel walked over to the living room from the kitchen. Scarecrow had his music tech on the kitchen table and was trying to make repairs to it, though he needed a screwdriver to get the panel open. Aaron had explicitly told them not to disturb him for a bit, so they were locked out of the basement. Luckily, they kept a few extra tools and wires in a bin under the TV just in case. They broke the TV quite often.

Gabriel crouched down on the floor and pulled out the drawer.

“Yes, here they are!” He yelled, reaching in for the screwdrivers and other parts.

“Good! I want to record some stuff and I can’t do it on a busted converter.” Scarecrow yelled from the kitchen as he turned the sound box over in his hands. Enty was just hanging to the side trying to help sort all the cables and wires Scarecrow had thrown into a tangled mess on the table.

“What in here do you need?”

“Just grab everything.”

“Got it!”

Gabriel reached in and began digging through the drawer to pick out the tools when he heard an odd sound. The trio looked around them as the lights in the house flickered slightly. Scarecrow swore he could see sparks escaping around them.

“Jesus, is he messing with the house wiring again?” Scarecrow yelled in frustration as the lights flickered.

“Not sure…” Gabriel responded. He was about to go back to his searching when another loud popping sound echoed as the lights blared brightly. He looked up to see electricity surging around the television. Before he could comprehend what he was looking at, a loud ringing sound filled his ears as the electricity before him surged into a blinding white light.

~

Aaron reeled back as a surge of electricity escaped the machine and followed the wires plugged into it with a loud popping sound. He nearly fell back to the floor when a flash of sparks erupted from the machine and then the outlet in the wall it was plugged into. The lights in the basement seemed to flicker then flare brighter as the energy surged. After a moment of chaos, the sparks stopped and all that remained was a small black trail of smoke erupting from the device as it sat on his desk.

Aaron adjusted his glasses and quickly unplugged the machine, removing its power source. As he stood to walk back to his desk and review what went wrong, he heard a yell from upstairs.

_“AARON!!!”_

That was Scarecrow’s voice. He sounded afraid. Nothing made Scarecrow afraid. His nerves spiking, Aaron ran up the stairs and threw open the basement door. He was about to move farther out but stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight before him.

He saw Scarecrow and Enty cowering fearfully next to the kitchen, their gazes locked on a figure by the television. The figure was hunched over slightly with his hands covering his face as he wavered on his feet. He was wearing odd black modern clothes and a black leather jacket like something Scarecrow would wear. He had familiar long hair running over his shoulders and in front of his face.

“W-what…” Aaron muttered as he saw the strange but familiar figure standing quietly in front of them as he rubbed his eyes. Aaron looked over and met Scarecrow’s terrified gaze. His friend’s face was white as a sheet as he stared back.

“G-Gabriel…was…he…” Scarecrow muttered fearfully as he turned back to look at the figure. It did look like Gabriel…but…it couldn’t be…

Aaron took a few nervous steps forward and eyed the wavering man before him.

“Gabriel? You…you alright?” He asked quietly. Gabriel gave no response. He just turned slightly with a small, pained groan but kept his face covered. Aaron stopped as he neared the couch. Where had Gabriel gotten those clothes?

Before Aaron could inquire further, Enty quietly slid out from behind Scarecrow and walked up to his wavering friend. Gabriel didn’t acknowledge him as he approached. Enty reached out to touch his friend’s arm.

“Gabriel? Are yo-” Enty started but was cut off the moment he touched Gabriel. At the contact, Gabriel let out a loud surprised shout and reeled back, looking up with shock at the frightened Enty. Before anyone could say anything, Gabriel swung his arm out towards Enty, throwing a punch his way and hitting him square in the face. Enty stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, out cold.

“ENTY!” Scarecrow cried, running forward to his friend who was laying unmoving on the floor. Aaron and Scarecrow looked up in horror to see fiery rage in Gabriel’s eyes as he stood breathing heavy before them with clenched fists.

_“WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twisting fate, twisting fate, broken things can't always be fixed...


	3. Reflections or a Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ....Gabriel?

Elderane snapped awake at the sound of yelling downstairs. He had been taking a nap while the others did their thing for a while, but it seems to have already gotten out of hand. Letting out a tired and frustrated sigh, he threw the blanket off him and walked out the bedroom door.

The lunatics where most likely fighting again, and he was probably going to be the one to diffuse the situation.

Again.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and turned into the living room, but then let out a cry of shock as a glass was thrown his way, hitting the wall next to him and shattering. Shaken, he fearfully peered into the living room where he felt his blood run cold at the sight before him.

He saw a passed-out Enty on the floor with a terrified Scarecrow standing defensively in front of him. Aaron was behind the couch a way, facing off with a figure who was standing on the couch, another glass in his hand. The figure was dressed in odd black modern clothes, like something Scarecrow would wear, but…he sort of looked like…

“GABRIEL, _STOP!_ WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Aaron screamed in fearful terror at his friend standing proudly above him on the couch.

“Me? What the hell is wrong with you! What the hell is wrong with the house? You think this is funny?” Gabriel yelled, motioning to the world around him.

“Why the fuck did you do that to Enty?!” Scarecrow screamed from his defensive stance. Gabriel just rolled his eyes.

“Because he _DESERVED IT!!!”_ Gabriel screamed back, throwing the empty glass in his hand towards Enty on the floor. Scarecrow’s eyes widened and he quickly positioned himself so the glass hit his chest dead on, as opposed to hitting Enty. Aaron watched in horror as Scarecrow let out a cry of pain when the glass shattered upon impact, causing Scarecrow to fall to his knees, gripping his chest. Aaron could see blood form on his shirt.

“W-What’s going _on_ here?!” Elderane screamed nervously at the sight before him. Something was _very_ wrong.

Gabriel quickly turned to face him and Elderane suddenly felt very small as his friend stared hateful daggers at him. The compassion and love Gabriel was known for was now gone. Elderane took a nervous breath and eyed the others. Scarecrow was kneeling in front of the still unconscious Enty as he tried to get the shards of glass off himself. Aaron met Elderane’s gaze with pure terror.

“Oh, good, _you’re_ in on this too, huh?!” Gabriel said sharply as he hopped off the couch and marched towards a frozen Elderane. This was Gabriel, but…it wasn’t him. His clothes were different, his walk was different, and the look in his eyes were different. They were angry. Hateful. Cold.

This couldn’t be his Gabriel.

Elderane took a fearful step back as Gabriel stood before him with rage in his eyes.

“You just can’t leave me alone, can you? You always _have_ to make a fool of me! Always gotta drag me down lower!” he screamed, poking Elderane’s chest as he ranted. Elderane just stared at him speechless. “You are one sick bastard, you know that? Why can’t you just _FUCK OFF!”_ Gabriel screamed, pushing Elderane backwards. The elf stumbled a moment then caught his footing. Words eluded him. His mind was a dangerous cacophony of agonizing terrifying thoughts.

_What happened to Gabriel?_

Gabriel just stared back at the elf in front of him. He was terrified. Fragile. _Weak_. The novice felt a small smile form on his face. Maybe he could have some fun with this situation…

Finally put the elf in his place…

“Gabriel, you need to stop right now!” Aaron yelled, walking closer. Gabriel just rolled his eyes and backed away from the duo as Aaron approached.

“Oh, Mr. do-nothing is taking charge now! Color me impressed.” Gabriel said sarcastically.

“W-What?” Aaron responded.

“Gabriel, what the hell?!” Scarecrow yelled nervously as he pulled himself to his feet. His shirt had some blood staining the front from a few cuts he got from the glass. He eyed his friend. Gabriel just looked furious.

He didn’t look like Gabriel at all. It scared Scarecrow.

“What…what happened?” Elderane asked as Scarecrow slid over, sticking by Aaron’s side as they circled Gabriel.

“Why don’t you idiots tell me?” Gabriel yelled in frustration. “This is all your doing isn’t it?” He yelled at Elderane. “And since when did the _coward_ get learn to take a stand?” He said with a laugh towards Scarecrow.

“I-I don’t understand…” Elderane said fearfully. Gabriel just smiled slyly at him. A shiver ran down Elderane’s spine as he met the conniving gaze. He felt as if Gabriel’s eyes were seeing right through him. Taking him apart. He didn’t like it.

“Is this Acedia?!” Scarecrow screamed as he realized the possibility, moving towards Gabriel who did not flinch. “Acedia, I swear, we have been over this-”

“The hell is an ‘acedia?’” Gabriel asked annoyed. Scarecrow met his gaze. His eyes did look normal…

“Gabriel, why are you acting like this?!” Elderane cried, tears forming in his eyes. Gabriel just scoffed.

“ _I don’t know,_ maybe it’s the fact that you lunatics are acting weirder than normal just to spite me!” He yelled, throwing his hands down in frustration. “Maybe it’s the fact I nearly got electrocuted from the damn TV, or the fact that that Enty-”

“Y-you what?!” Aaron asked, cutting Gabriel off. Gabriel looked at him with hateful rage.

“The _damn_ TV.” He growled. “Bunch of sparks, white light, killer headache…” He said as he reached for his head. Aaron’s blood froze as he stared at his ‘friend’.

The dimensional machine…

“You people have just…lost your fucking minds!” Gabriel shouted as he threw his hands down.

“It’s you who’s lost it!” Scarecrow screamed back. Gabriel glared at him then walked forward, standing close before him with sharp eyes. Scarecrow didn’t back away, but the piercing gaze from his friend uneased him. There was no compassionate recognition in there.

“Insult me again, and I _swear,_ I will take that useless guitar of yours and smash it _over your head!”_ Gabriel screamed, pushing Scarecrow slightly. Scarecrow just stood back in speechless fright as Gabriel slid away.

For a moment, all was silent as Scarecrow and Elderane stared with unbridled terror at their friend who had turned away and was now skimming through a magazine that was on the end table. Aaron’s quiet voice broke the silence.

“This is my fault…” He whispered, terror suffocating his heart. Scarecrow and Elderane stared at him in shock.

“What?” Scarecrow yelled, a waver in his voice. Aaron looked up slowly and met his friend’s worried gazes. He took in a sharp breath.

“I was working on a new project…”

“ _YOU_ DID THIS!!!” Elderane screamed, causing Aaron and Scarecrow to jump. Gabriel just stared amusingly at the trio. He eyed the elf as he panicked. It was entertaining seeing him flustered…

Elderane felt tears escape his eyes and run down his face as he realized what Aaron had done. Another experiment gone wrong. He should have known! Elderane looked behind him.

“Basement! _Now!”_ He yelled, swinging the door open. Aaron looked to the floor nervously and walked forward, descending the stairs. Scarecrow looked over and felt his heart stop when he saw Enty beginning to stir.

“Enty?!” He yelled, running to his friend’s side. Elderane took in a wavering breath and descended after Aaron. Gabriel watched as the door closed. He looked over and saw Scarecrow preoccupied with helping Enty sit up. Gabriel smiled evilly and backed away as he headed for the upstairs.

He had an elf he needed to teach a lesson to…

~

“What…what have _YOU DONE?!”_ Elderane screamed through tears as he reached the bottom of the basement stairs and met Aaron’s sorrowful gaze. “He is…that is not our Gabriel, Aaron! What have you _done?!”_

“I-I don’t…I…”

“That can’t be my Gabriel!” Elderane cried as he paced in front of the guilty Aaron who was avoiding his gaze. “Aaron, you…he…he’s…” Elderane tried to speak, but the tightness in his throat got worse as he pondered the situation more and more.

He just felt…broken.

“He’s gone, Aaron…you…you took him from me…” He whispered as he paused his pacing and eyed his hands. Aaron felt his heart shatter at the pain in the elf’s voice.

“I can reverse this! I-I promise…”

“Is that supposed to mean something?!” Elderane yelled, causing Aaron to jump back. “You promised once you wouldn’t do any more God-defying experiments…” Elderane muttered as he eyed the device on the desk. “You didn’t keep _that_ promise…why should I believe you on this one?” Elderane cried as tears ran down his face. He couldn’t stop them anymore.

“Christ, because he’s my _friend_ , Elderane!” Aaron pleaded, tears behind his own eyes. “I’d never leave him like this!” He cried as he edged towards Elderane. The elf just turned away.

“I wish I could believe you…” He whispered quietly. Aaron just stood in guilty silence as he listened to Elderane take in sharp breaths as he fought back tears.

“Elderane, I-I can fix it…it’s not really Gabriel, alright?”

“What do you mean?” Elderane said coldly as he met Aaron’s hurt gaze.

“I was experimenting with dimensional energy when the device short circuited and caused a power surge in the house. Gabriel was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and-”

“He is…that person upstairs is not him?” Elderane cut in, hope in his voice. Aaron nodded.

“N-no, not really, I mean…it IS Gabriel, but it’s not _our_ Gabriel…”

“He is from an…alternate dimension?”

“Precisely…”

“So, you have sent our Gabriel across worlds to God knows where?” Elderane yelled again. Aaron shuffled awkwardly on his feet. Oh, God, he had hadn’t he…

“Uhh…”

“If the alternate Gabriel behaves like that, what do your counterparts behave like? Or mine? He must be so afraid…” Elderane muttered as he ran his hand through his hair. “They could hurt him! Aaron, oh, Aaron, what have you _done…”_ Elderane cried again, facing away as he pulled his hair.

“I can get him back! I just need a bit of time to get the machine fixed! It just overloaded!” He yelled as he ran to his desk. Elderane just watched him quietly as Aaron began working with the device.

“Aaron…” Elderane muttered brokenly through tears, causing the scientist to look up nervously at him. “ _Please_ …bring him home…”

Aaron met Elderane’s tearstained eyes with a small nod. The elf took in a sharp breath then turned away, vanishing up the stairs. Aaron heard the basement door close.

He was alone.

Aaron released his held breath and turned back to the device. He couldn’t let Gabriel down, he couldn’t. There was no way in hell he was going to leave things as they were.

He would spend the rest of his life trying to fix it if he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> F in the chat babey.


	4. Carry Me Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something...is not right here...

Gabriel was rubbing his eyes as a pounding pain was drilling away in his skull. Just standing a moment as the pain faded, he cracked his eyes open slowly and looked around. He was in the living room in front of the TV where he had been moments earlier, but Gabriel felt his fear skyrocket when he scanned the room.

The place was a mess of epic proportions, as if no one had cleaned in days. Old clothes and trash lay scattered everywhere, and there were various holes and cracks in the walls. The room was dim as all curtains were drawn closed. It was cold and dark. This was…not his house.

It couldn’t be.

Gabriel was just in his own living room. It was clean and bright. His friends were right there…where were they now? Gabriel eyed the room. He appeared to be alone. Or…he had thought he was. A small fearful whimper grabbed his attention and he looked to the now torn couch where he saw a figure vanish from behind it.

“Enty? That you…?” Gabriel muttered, edging closer to the corner. He looked behind the couch and felt his blood freeze. There was…Scarecrow, huddled in on himself as he looked on with fright at Gabriel. Scarecrow was missing his signature makeup, revealing his tired eyes, and he was wearing a generic outfit of black pants and a t-shirt and simple old ragged black coat.

He had absolute terror in his eyes.

“Crow? What happened? Why do you look like-”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m _sorry!_ I didn’t mean to stare! I’ll go back, _I’ll go back_!” He cried in a broken voice as he scurried to his feet and made a beeline for the dark staircase that led upstairs. Gabriel heard his door shut.

What the heck was that?

Scarecrow looked absolutely shaken to his core. Gabriel had never once known Scarecrow to be that afraid. Let alone of him…

_What was going on?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something doesn't seem right with Scarecrow...


	5. Who Can We Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things...go horribly wrong.

Elderane slid out of the basement quietly, his mind a chaotic mess. Through blurry vision he could see Scarecrow consoling a crying Enty by the back door.

“E-Enty, please, it-it wasn’t him…” Scarecrow muttered as he held his friend, but Enty just kept sobbing into his shoulder. His friend had hurt him. He couldn’t comprehend it.

Elderane shook his head and slid away towards the upstairs, not wanting to disturb his friends. He needed some silence for just a bit while Aaron worked. He…he knew Aaron could fix this. He knew he would. But…

Seeing the hate in Gabriel’s eyes…

Elderane shivered. The double was…creepy. He had smiled at him in a way that made his skin crawl. Why? Elderane couldn’t say. He just…he just missed his Gabriel. Why couldn’t Aaron listen? Why did he have to keep playing God? What did he have to gain?

Elderane sighed as he pushed open Gabriel’s bedroom door and walked in. He could never predict what the scientist was going to do. It was part of his charm, he supposed. He just wished he could leave Gabriel out of the line of fire with his experiments…

Elderane walked in and eyed the room. Sunlight was streaming through the window and casting calming light over his friend’s desk where some of his dusty books lay. Gabriel should be here reading them. He should be here with him. Now Elderane didn’t even know where Gabriel _was…_

Taking in a slow breath, he took a few steps towards the desk before he froze in his tracks. He hadn’t seen the double in the living room. Where did h-

Elderane let out a cry of surprise as something pushed him from behind, causing him to stumble forward. He heard the bedroom door slam shut and he turned just as the double grabbed his shirt collar and pushed him forward, kicking his legs out from under him. Elderane fell backwards onto the bed as he felt the double pin him down, his hands holding each of Elderane’s down as he lay on top of him.

Elderane froze as he locked eyes with Gabriel.

“Not so tough in this world, are yah?” Gabriel said slyly as he gripped Elderane’s hands tighter, preventing him from pulling away. Elderane just stared in shock at the man on top of him. “I’m not an idiot. I looked around the house. I know this isn’t my world.” He said, leaning closer. “And I know you’re not my elf…” He said as he used his leg to hold Elderane’s down. Elderane tried to break free but he was pinned. “But that doesn’t matter to me…” Gabriel sneered.

“G-get off!” Elderane managed through the fear as he struggled, but Gabriel just laughed.

“You’re not the boss of me anymore. I’m _tired_ of you telling me what to do!” he yelled, gripping Elderane’s wrists tighter. Elderane thought quickly and used his free leg to kick against the double. Gabriel let out a sharp cry as he reeled back slightly, with Elderane yanking his arms free as he tried to scurry off the bed.

Gabriel saw this and lunged forward, blocking his path with his knee as he threw his hands to Elderane’s throat and held him in place. Elderane stared up in terror at his friend’s lookalike.

“Not so fun on the receiving end, is it?!” He laughed through a wavering voice. Elderane reached forward to try and push Gabriel off him, but the double only gripped his throat tighter, causing Elderane to cough and lower his arms as his oxygen was cut off. “You have no idea how much _misery_ you put me through!” Gabriel sneered as he leaned closer once more. Elderane tried to back away, but the more he struggled, the tighter Gabriel held him. He was really having trouble breathing. He wheezed to try and get air in.

“G-Gabriel…” Elderane muttered through teary vision and a tight throat. Gabriel just smiled wickedly at him.

“You look just like him, you know…” Gabriel muttered as he leaned closer towards Elderane’s face. He pulled his hands away from Elderane’s throat and moved them back to his wrists, pinning him down as he positioned himself on top of him. “He may be difficult, but damn if he isn’t tempting…” He sneered, forcing Elderane to meet his gaze. “As are you…” He whispered, leaning closer.

Elderane’s nerves spiked when he felt Gabriel’s lips against his neck. This was wrong, _this was wrong!_

Elderane tried to struggle free again, his mind reeling faster in a daze, but he let out a horrified pained yell when he felt a sharp painful pinch on his neck from the double as he bit him there.

Letting out a shaken cry, he gathered his strength and pushed himself free once more, climbing away as fast as he could and falling to the floor with a hard thud. He was about to make a break for the door when he felt the double grab the back of his shirt and yank him backwards. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt something heavy hit his head, and all the world faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Limits have been pushed today, fellas...


	6. Lost In Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel realizes things are not as they seem, but that doesn't mean things are all bad. Right?

Gabriel slowly slid up the stairs with caution. Something weird was going on and he had no idea what. One minute he was helping Scarecrow with his music tech, and the next he’s in some…weird version of their house and…

And Scarecrow was terrified.

That definitely wasn’t normal. Gabriel reached the top of the stairs and saw Scarecrow’s closed door. He was about to knock when something caught his eye.

His own bedroom door was open.

Lowering his hand, Gabriel shakily walked over to his room with wide eyes.

All his books were gone, his religious icons, his photos…all gone.

The room was painted differently as well. While his room had light beige walls, these were painted black. His curtains were drawn closed, and the room was dark. He saw nothing familiar to him, but he did see a lot of knives on the desk, inappropriate music posters, some black modern clothes strewn about the room, and some…morally questionable intimate items.

This was not his room.

It looked more like Scarecrow’s, but…worse. There was no softness here. Everything was dark and foreboding. The complete opposite of what Gabriel’s room was.

What the hell was going on…

Gabriel shakily pulled the bedroom door closed. This had to be one of Scarecrow’s elaborate pranks. Needing answers, Gabriel ran to his friend’s door and knocked. He got no answer.

“Crow? Come on, this isn’t funny!” Gabriel yelled. He heard a few thumps and some shuffling behind the door as he raised his voice, but the door didn’t open. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he twisted the door handle and slid inside.

His heart stopped dead when he entered.

Scarecrow’s room was…barren. There was almost nothing in it except a shelf with a few random books on it, a messy bed, a worn desk that looked close to breaking, and a ratty looking guitar leaning against the shelf.

Gabriel felt his breathing quicken as he took in the sight. His blood froze when he saw the closet in the corner was cracked open slightly. He saw movement inside.

“Crow? What…what happened…?” Gabriel said softly as he walked over. The walls in the room had holes and cracks in them and the window was covered with a trash bag and duct tape, as it seemed the glass was missing. Gabriel saw none of Scarecrow’s personal items as he walked. No pyro materials, no rock CDs, no strange black jackets, or top hats. Just…nothing.

Gabriel kneeled by the cracked open closet.

“Crow? That you?” Gabriel said nervously. He slid the door open and felt his heart break when he saw his friend huddled to himself in the corner of the closet.

Scarecrow looked…small.

Weak.

He had no makeup hiding his tired eyes, his hair was a mess, he looked overly skinny, and he had tears running down his face as he looked at Gabriel with horror.

This…couldn’t be his Scarecrow.

“Crow?” Gabriel said fearfully, reaching a hand out towards his shaking friend. Scarecrow’s eyes just widened, and he let out a yelp as he reeled back and hid his eyes with his arm, turning away from Gabriel.

“C-Crow, I won’t hurt you! Come on…” Gabriel said softly, but Scarecrow just edged away farther. Gabriel could hear him sobbing and taking in sharp breaths as he cried.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! P-please don’t h-hurt me…” Scarecrow cried, turning his back towards Gabriel. The man’s jacket had all kinds of tears in it. Scarecrow looked beaten. Defeated. Gabriel didn’t know what to think as he took in the sight.

This wasn’t his Scarecrow.

“Crow, please listen…” Gabriel muttered, reaching his hand out again. He touched Scarecrow’s shoulder and the man jumped at the contact with a shrill cry of fear. He threw his hands to his head and gripped his hair as he shook in place.

“I-I’ll be good! I promise! _I promise!_ I won’t bother you again today! _Please!”_ Scarecrow sobbed; his eyes squeezed shut. Gabriel felt a pang of hurt stab his heart as he saw several cuts and bruises around Scarecrow’s skin. Someone had really hurt him.

This wasn’t a prank. Gabriel’s eyes widened when he realized what had happened.

The TV…the static and weird light…did he get thrown across dimensions again?

He looked to the whimpering and shaking Scarecrow.

Yeah, he had to have. This was not the friend that he knew.

Gabriel took in a breath and placed his hand back on the trembling Scarecrow’s shoulder. The man flinched but didn’t have any place to run, so he just looked away and hid his eyes.

“Scarecrow, please, I-I’m…I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you…” Gabriel soothed softly, trying to ease his friend’s fear. Scarecrow just let out a whimper. “You’re my friend, Crow.”

Scarecrow’s head lifted once Gabriel said that. He looked towards Gabriel’s soft gaze.

“Y-you’ve n-never called me your f-friend…before…” He muttered. He started at Gabriel. He was wearing odd white clothes, nothing like the leather jacket Gabriel usually wore. His eyes had…kindness in them. Warmth.

This…couldn’t be the Gabriel he lived with…

“I-I don’t understand…” Scarecrow muttered as he took in a few sharp breaths and wiped his eyes. Gabriel looked away.

“I’m afraid I don’t either…” Gabriel said sadly, a few tears forming in his eyes. Scarecrow just blinked. Gabriel would never cry in front of him willingly. Not even for a trick. He wouldn’t cry in front of anyone unless Elderane had…

This wasn’t his Gabriel.

“I…I don’t belong here, Crow. This isn’t my world. I really won’t hurt you; I promise!” Gabriel said, turning back to Scarecrow who just stared in shock. “I think there was some…dimensional mishap…I don’t know what caused it, but I’m not the Gabriel from this world, really!” Gabriel said as he held his hands up. He couldn’t imagine what the Gabriel in this world was like, judging by the…unholy things in his room.

He thought about the things he saw. The injuries on the scared Scarecrow.

Had Gabriel done that to him? Had Gabriel hurt him?

Gabriel felt sick at the thought.

“Y-you…really aren’t…Gabriel?” Scarecrow said, sitting up and facing the man before him.

“N-no, well…yes…I _am_ Gabriel but not… _your_ Gabriel, alright?” he said. Scarecrow just nodded. He could believe that…

“Then…where is the Gabriel from my world?”

“In mine I gues-OH GOD!” Gabriel yelled, grabbing his hair as Scarecrow jumped in fright.

“W-what?”

“Your Gabriel is…not _nice,_ is he?” Gabriel asked. Scarecrow eyed his own arm and rubbed it, flinching slightly as he shook his head. Gabriel’s blood froze. If this were some…reverse world…then his counterpart would be cruel. Sinful. And he was now with his friends back home…

“Oh, god, he could hurt them…” Gabriel yelled, holding his arms tightly as tears escaped his eyes. If that Gabriel did this to Scarecrow, what would he do to his other friends…? Would they think him to be their Gabriel? Would they disown him? Hate him? What if he hurt them, and they thought it to be him…

Gabriel felt his breathing pick up as the thoughts came to him. He had to get _home._

“C-Crow, I’m sorry, but I need to get back home! He could hurt my friends…” Gabriel said, pulling himself to his feet. Scarecrow shakily joined him.

“I-I don’t know how to help…maybe Aaron could make something, but…”

“Aaron! Yes! Maybe your Aaron could help me!” Gabriel said, taking a few steps back. Scarecrow reached out a hand to stop him.

“W-wait! He…” Scarecrow started, but Gabriel was already out the door. Gabriel ran down the stairs but let out a cry as he rammed right into someone, causing Gabriel to stumble back and grip his head.

“Ow…” Gabriel muttered as he shook the dazed feeling from his mind. He looked up and felt his blood freeze when he saw he was face to face with Enty. Or…this world’s Enty.

He still had his black flames, and was wearing a red jacket, but this one was faded and torn. The gold buttons and linings were missing, it had loose strands of string sticking out everywhere, it had large and small cuts and tears in the fabric and looked to be close to completely falling apart.

But the thing that unnerved Gabriel the most was the look in his eyes.

They were empty. Blank.

There was no emotion there.

Gabriel took a step back as Enty stared at him coldly. He didn’t say a word.

“E-Enty…?” Gabriel muttered. Enty just stared at him with soulless eyes then pushed forward, knocking Gabriel out of his way roughly as he climbed the stairs. He vanished around the corner without a sound.

Gabriel stared a moment then shivered. He had never seen Enty so…inhuman.

It was distressing.

Shaking his head, he ran around the corner and pulled the basement door open. He saw a figure at the desk at the bottom of the stairs.

Aaron.

Gabriel prayed he would have some answer to this problem. This wasn’t his home. He missed his home. His family.

Gabriel reached the bottom of the stairs and froze when he saw Aaron. The man was face-down at his desk, seemingly passed out. He was wearing some ratty casual modern clothes that looked quite old and as if they hadn’t been washed in ages. His hair was much longer and a tangled mess.

The basement was also a mess, but not in a familiar way. Instead of machine parts and paper scattered around in organized chaos, Gabriel just saw trash, empty bottles and some half-finished sketches of some machines. Hardly a completed device was in sight.

The basement was cold and musty, the wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and Gabriel didn’t see one clock anywhere in the room.

It unsettled him greatly.

“A-Aaron? You alright?” Gabriel asked, edging forward. Aaron just let out a tired groan and turned his head away from Gabriel. Gabriel sighed and shook his tired friend slightly. “Aaron? I need your help!” He urged. Aaron just lifted an arm weakly and waved him off. Gabriel was getting annoyed. “Aaron! Wake up! Come on!” he yelled, shaking his friend more. Aaron groaned again than sat up slowly. Gabriel saw he didn’t even have his glasses on.

“What do you waaaant…?” Aaron groaned, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes. Gabriel saw that he looked tired, but…not exhaustion tired. Not the “I overworked and haven’t slept for five days” tired that his Aaron had. This was just…annoyed tired. Unnecessary tired. Lazy tired.

“Aaron, listen, I’m just gonna get straight to the point alright?” Gabriel urged, shaking away his uncomfortableness. Aaron just blinked and stared at him. “I’m from an alternate dimension, and I need to get home! Can you invent a dimensional transport machine or something? Please? You’re the only one who could!” Gabriel pleaded. Aaron just stared at him blankly.

“I… _really_ don’t want to do that…” He said as he lowered his head back to the desk. “Too much work…” He muttered. Gabriel let out a frustrated yell and yanked him back up. “Whaaat?” Aaron whined.

“You need to help me, please!”

“Why should I? What have _you_ ever done for us?”

“I…I don’t know, I’m not your…”

“I don’t care what you are or aren’t. I don’t care about dimensional whatever. I don’t care where you’re from or who you are. I. Don’t. Care.” Aaron yelled, poking Gabriel slightly. Gabriel could smell a trace of alcohol on Aaron’s person. “So, go away.” He said quietly as he lowered his head back to the desk. Gabriel just stared in shock as Aaron ignored him.

“Aaron, please! I really need your help!”

“Don’t care.”

“I’m not your Gabriel, though!”

“Don’t. Care.”

“Aaron!” Gabriel cried, tears forming in his eyes. Aaron was his last hope. Aaron didn’t even respond, but instead just waved him off again before lowering his hand back to the desk. Gabriel eyed the room. There was nothing familiar here. There was no weird invention. Aaron wasn’t going to help him.

Gabriel was stuck here.

Tears forming in his eyes, he quickly ran up the stairs and into the living room. The house was dismal. Cold. This wasn’t his home. He _couldn’t_ be stuck here.

He gripped his arms as his senses overwhelmed him.

Would he never see his family again? Never hug his Enty? Read with his Aaron? Get out of police custody with his Scarecrow? Hold his Elderane?

Was his family gone forever?

He couldn’t stop the tears as he looked around. The clock they had made together was missing from the wall. Their photos were missing. His life was missing.

He was missing.

Did the others care?

Were they looking for him? Or did they think the counterpart was him? Did they abandon him? Did…did they not care at all…? Where were they? He had been here a while now…

Gabriel took in a sharp breath as he fell to his knees. Would he ever get home?

Did the others want him home?

Maybe they were happy he was gone. Maybe they like his counterpart more than him. Maybe he was less annoying. Maybe he fit into their modern world better.

Gabriel shuddered as he hid his eyes.

Maybe his friends didn’t care, and he was never going to get home.

He was alone.

For a few minutes, Gabriel just sat on the floor and cried as the intrusive thoughts suffocated his mind. He was snapped back to reality as he heard an odd faint sound.

Music.

Quiet music.

He looked up through blurred vision and could hear light guitar playing come from upstairs. Taking in a shaky breath, Gabriel rose to his feet and followed the sound. He had nothing left to lose.

He reached the top of the stairs and leaned into Scarecrow’s room. The man was on the floor under the window with his half-broken guitar in his hands. It was cracked and missing a string, but still…Scarecrow played. Gabriel recognized the song as Scarecrow sang hardly above a whisper to himself.

 _“How could I know? How could I know? That I'll get lost in space to roam forever…”_ He sang softly. He stopped immediately when he saw Gabriel walk in the room.

“That was really good…” Gabriel said with a warm smile as he sat on the floor across from Scarecrow. Scarecrow just looked away.

“The others hate my music…” He muttered, gripping the neck of the guitar tighter. Gabriel felt a pang of hurt stab his heart.

“Maybe they just don’t understand yet…” He whispered back, placing a reassuring hand on Scarecrow’s knee. Scarecrow looked up at him with soft eyes.

“Y-you were crying…” Scarecrow said, noticing the hurt in Gabriel’s eyes. Gabriel just let out a small laugh and wiped the tears away.

“Aaron was no help…I may be stuck here with you for a bit…or more…” Gabriel said brokenly as tears escaped his eyes. Scarecrow looked at him sadly and set the guitar down, sliding closer.

“I’m sorry you are away from your friends…” He said, eyeing the pain in Gabriel’s eyes. This Gabriel was soft. Kind. His friends must be as well. Scarecrow saw the care in Gabriel’s eyes. How nice it must be to have a family that cares for you…

“Th-thanks…I…I do miss them…I’m just alone now, I guess…” Gabriel said through a tight voice. He missed Elderane’s embrace. Enty’s laughter. Scarecrow’s antics. Aaron’s compassion.

“Well…you won’t be alone here! I’ll be your friend!” Scarecrow said brightly. Gabriel met his gaze. Scarecrow was smiling warmly at him. Sincerely.

If Gabriel was stuck here…at least he had someone with him who cared.

“Th-thank you…” Gabriel said as he avoided Scarecrow’s gaze and wiped his eyes. He looked at the tried man before him. “You really are good you know.”

“Gabriel won’t let me play when he or Elderane are home…Enty or Aaron could care less…” Scarecrow said, hurt in his voice. “I just…want to make music, but…they keep telling me I’m worthless…” He whispered, tears escaping his eyes. Gabriel saw Scarecrow begin to break and reached forward, pulling Scarecrow into a hug.

How could their counterparts be so cruel? What kind of twisted world was this…

Gabriel felt Scarecrow shudder in his arms as he began sobbing. Scarecrow clung to Gabriel tightly with clawed hands as tears streamed down his face.

“C-Crow, are you alright?” Gabriel asked as he returned the embrace. Scarecrow took in a sharp breath.

“It-it’s been so long…since someone’s…been nice to me…” He cried. Gabriel felt his heart break as he held his new friend tightly. How cruel this place was…

Scarecrow looked up through blurred vision and saw Enty standing in the doorway, his expression blank as his shadows flickered quietly. Enty just watched as Gabriel hugged Scarecrow.

Scarecrow took in another breath and hid his face in Gabriel’s shoulder. For a few minutes, the three men remained in place. Finally, Scarecrow’s breathing calmed, and he pulled away. He was smiling.

“Th-thank you…” Scarecrow said as he wiped his eyes. Gabriel nodded with a warm smile as he reached for Scarecrow’s guitar.

“Why don’t you keep going?” He said softly as Scarecrow took it in his hands. Scarecrow looked beyond Gabriel and saw Enty still standing emotionless in the doorway. He couldn’t read his ghostly roommate’s expression. Taking in a slow breath as his tears faded, Scarecrow plucked the worn strings.

_“Another star…has fallen…without a sound. Another spark...has burned out in the cold…”_

Enty just stared at the duo on the floor. Scarecrow was smiling. Gabriel was smiling. There was no pain. No hurt. They were…happy.

Enty looked down at his hands, his black shadows covering one of them.

Gabriel made Scarecrow feel happy.

How?

_“Another door…to barrens standing open. And who is there…to tell me not to give and not to go…”_

He saw Gabriel close his eyes as Scarecrow sang. Enty hadn’t heard Scarecrow sing before.

He liked it.

It sounded…nice. Gabriel made Scarecrow happy and Scarecrow made something nice.

Enty felt something inside him as he listened. He didn’t know what it was. He reached for his chest and felt where his heart was. A new feeling arose.

It was…nice.

His roommates were happy, and he felt nice.

He hung back as Scarecrow spent a while singing for Gabriel, with Gabriel listening intently the entire time. Enty listened with them.

Why?

He didn’t know.

It felt…nice.

After a while longer, Scarecrow seemed to tire. He hadn’t sung that much at once before. Gabriel smiled and stood up, helping the other man to his feet.

“Thank you…” Scarecrow muttered as he set the guitar down. It was old but…it was his only real possession he cared about. He was careful with it.

“Of course.” Gabriel said warmly as Scarecrow sat on the bed. “Why don’t I go make us some tea?” He said. Scarecrow’s eyes were still tearstained. He could use some comfort. Scarecrow nodded. “Right, I’ll be right back.” Gabriel said as he backed towards the door.

He entered the hall but noticed Enty’s door close out of the corner of his eye. Had Enty been watching?

Shrugging, Gabriel slid down the stairs. This…wasn’t home. These weren’t his friends. But he wasn’t going to sit by and let them suffer.

Gabriel smiled to himself as he rounded the corner to the living room.

He froze in his tracks as a sharp cough snapped his attention back. He turned around and felt his heart stop when he saw Elderane standing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reverses and opposites...genuine love or...not...oh dear...


	7. Loving You Was Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elderane faces a horrid circumstance he can't escape. Where's Aaron?

Elderane heard the world slowly come back to him, though he couldn’t see anything. He snapped his head up but all he saw was darkness. He tried to move, but he couldn’t. Something tight was wrapped around his chest and arms, holding his wrists and legs down. He felt that was sitting up in a chair, but he couldn’t move or see.

He tried to let out a yell for help, but immedetly coughed and gagged as he felt something wedged in his mouth. He couldn’t speak. Something was preventing him from speaking.

His panic skyrocketing, he began fighting as hard as he could to break free from what was holding him. He shook his head to try and shake off the things blocking his senses, but they didn’t move. His restraints didn’t budge. He let out a fearful cry as he felt someone grab his hair roughly and yank his head back.

“Now, now, don’t even try…”

Elderane froze. It was Gabriel’s voice, but he knew it wasn’t really his Gabriel. His Gabriel would never be so rough or cruel. He tried to protest but only muffled cries escaped.

“No one can hear you, Elderane. Stop fighting, you’ll only make this harder, love.” He heard the double say smoothly as he released his head. He heard the footsteps from Gabriel circling him. “I have lived my life letting _you_ push me around. How does it feel to be on the other end?!” He yelled grabbing Elderane’s shirt collar and yanking him forward slightly. Elderane just let out a whimper. It was all he could do.

His breathing quickened as he heard Gabriel get closer. His nerves shot up when he felt a strong hand grab his side by the bottom of his shirt, holding him tight. Elderane wanted to push him away, but he couldn’t. Another hand grabbed the back of his head and yanked his hair back again. He let out another pained cry but was cut off as a slap hit hard against his face, causing his cheek to sting. He felt Gabriel’s weight press down on him as he leaned close, the double positioning himself tightly against Elderane’s restrained body.

“You really couldn’t have just cooperated, huh…” The voice said hardly above a whisper and much too close to his ear. Elderane cringed when he felt the hand on his side lift his shirt and touch his bare skin. He tried to edge away, but he was stuck. “Why should my counterpart get all the fun…you actually behave…” He whispered. Elderane felt the hand move upwards along his side towards his chest, stroking his skin as it searched him. He cringed at the touch. He prayed to God it would stop. He prayed his Gabriel would come back.

His Gabriel. His soft and kind Gabriel. His Gabriel would never be this demented, sinful, or inconsiderate…

All he heard was the double’s soft laughter by his ear as he gripped Elderane’s hair tighter, yanking it once more and earning a pained whimper from the elf as his head was pulled back. Elderane felt tears escape his eyes as he felt the double’s hand softly running across his skin and his warm breath on his neck. He sobbed at the horrid sensation. This was _wrong!_

A new noise caused the motion to stop. He could hear the bedroom door open as Gabriel eased up his grip on his hair. For a moment there was silence, but then a familiar voice cut in.

“Let him go. _Now.”_

~

Aaron let out a frustrated sigh as he tinkered with the device. He was stuck. His mind was a mess. He needed a breather. Taking in a shaky breath, he pushed his chair back and climbed the basement stairs. Maybe he would go apologize to Elderane again…

He entered the living room and saw Scarecrow holding a whimpering Enty against the wall. At least he was awake. Aaron felt his nerves spike, however, when he didn’t see his friend’s double.

“C-Crow…where’s the double?” He asked nervously. Scarecrow looked up and his eyes widened as he realized for the first time his corrupted friend was missing.

“Uhh…”

“ _Christ!”_ Aaron yelled, turning around. He backed away and ran up the stairs. He saw only one of the bedroom doors were shut. It was Gabriel’s. He ran over and pushed it open, his heart stopping dead in his chest as he looked inside with absolute horror.

There was Elderane, duct-taped tightly to the desk chair with a blindfold over his eyes and a gag in his mouth. Gabriel’s double was much too close to him, leaning against his body with his hand under Elderane’s shirt and the other grabbing his hair. Aaron could hear Elderane whimpering in fear. The scientist felt searing anger rise in him as he locked eyes with the flustered double.

“Let him go. _Now.”_ Aaron growled fiercely as he stepped into the room. There was no waver in his voice. He was not playing around. This had gone too far. The double slowly pulled his hand away from Elderane and out from his shirt, earning another whimper from the elf. His gaze was cold as stone.

“Turn around and walk _away_. You saw _nothing_.” Gabriel said sternly, slowly pulling himself to his feet. Aaron took another step forward, his anger bubbling over as he took in the sight. He could see tears falling down Elderane’s face from under the blindfold. “Did you not hear me? I said tur-”

As if in a trance, Aaron ran forward and threw a punch at the double with all he had, cutting him off mid-sentence. Gabriel staggered back with a dazed look of fear before crumbling to the floor, out cold. Aaron took a few breaths to calm the fire in his mind before running to Elderane.

As soon as he reached him, Elderane began whimpering more, trying to edge backwards away from Aaron. He was shaking.

“Elderane! It’s ok, it’s me!” Aaron said as he reached to grab the blindfold off his friend. But the moment he did so, Elderane let out a muffled shrill cry and backed away more, shaking his head to push Aaron away. “Elderane!” He yelled again, but the man flinched with every word and touch. That’s when Aaron realized that they all sounded the same…Elderane probably thought it was just the double messing with him.

“Christ, Elderane, it’s me! It’s Aaron!” he said, trying to sound as authentic as he could. Elderane seemed to calm slightly at his voice. “It’s Aaron, you know, the moron?”

Elderane slowed his struggling and rested a moment, just breathing rapidly through his nose as he sat restrained. Aaron’s heart broke. He should have been keeping an eye on things…

“Elderane, I’m going to remove the blindfold, alright?” Aaron said softly. Elderane just gave a small nod and a whimper. Taking in a shaky breath, Aaron reached forward and quickly untied the tight knot of the fabric around his friend’s eyes. He pulled it back and watched as Elderane blinked rapidly, trying to block out the bright daylight. His eyes were red and tearstained as his vision focused on Aaron.

“Elderane, I am so, _so_ sorry…” Aaron said quietly, reaching behind his terrified friend’s head to remove the gag. Once removed, Elderane coughed and wheezed as he took in sharp breaths. Aaron couldn’t take it. “Elderane…”

The elf looked up at him wearily once he finished coughing. Aaron felt queasy when he saw a large bruise forming around Elderane’s neck.

“Th-thank…you…” He cried through a broken and course voice. Aaron’s throat tightened as tears began escaping his own eyes. He reached into Gabriel’s desk and pulled out a pair of scissors.

“Here…let me get you out…” He said softly as he kneeled on the floor, starting with his friend’s ankles. The double had duct taped his legs to the chair as well as his wrists. They were tightly bound. He managed to get a cut in and tear the tape, freeing his friend.

Aaron stood and moved to the bulk of the tape that went around his shoulders. He felt more tears escape him when he watched Elderane rub his wrists and huddle in on himself. Finally, Aaron got the tape cut and Elderane was free. He helped him stand as he supported him and walked him to the bed. Elderane’s breathing was not slowing down.

“Elderane…” Aaron said softly as he tried to calm his friend as they sat on the edge of the bed. Elderane just looked up at him through teary vision before reaching forward and pulling Aaron into a hug. Aaron returned the embrace as he just listened to Elderane’s ragged breathing between his sobs. They rested a moment before Aaron looked up to see Scarecrow slide in, a horrified expression on his face as he took in the scene.

Elderane didn’t rise from Aaron’s shoulder, so Aaron motioned to the double on the floor and the duct tape. Scarecrow gave a sad but understanding nod as he slid in and grabbed Gabriel from under his arms, dragging him out the door. He returned a few minutes later for the duct tape.

Aaron just clung to the sobbing Elderane, cursing at himself for not paying attention to the double. He could have prevented this if he had been careful. He had no idea what Gabriel’s counterpart would be like. He couldn’t have predicted he would do _this_. Aaron just clung tighter to his friend as he cried. It was all he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...
> 
> Remember when I asked...
> 
> "What's the scariest thing I personally could write?"
> 
> Well...


	8. Evil Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarecrow's guilt begins taking hold.

Aaron walked out of Gabriel’s room and pulled the door closed. Elderane didn’t want to leave just yet, and Aaron wasn’t going to force him. He had cleaned the room up and Elderane was resting on the bed, holding Gabriel’s journal tightly in his arms. Aaron kicked himself internally for not taking the double into consideration.

The double…

Aaron felt sick thinking about their Gabriel acting in such a way. This one seemed to be the complete opposite of theirs. He wore black modern clothes, was rude, hurtful, sinful, uncaring…

Aaron shuddered.

Their Gabriel would never. Oh, how he missed him…

He reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the living room to see Scarecrow finishing up restraining the double to a kitchen chair while Enty hid behind the bar in terror. Gabriel was still unconscious. Good.

Scarecrow finished wrapping some duct tape around the double’s wrist against the chair and looked up when Aaron entered. Aaron could tell Scarecrow was uncomfortable.

“A-Aaron, what happened to Gabriel?” Enty muttered as he wiped his tears, coming out from behind the bar. Aaron just met him by the quiet Scarecrow as he stepped back and eyed their friend in the chair. “H-he wouldn’t do that…”

“No, no he wouldn’t. This isn’t our Gabriel, alright?” Aaron said softly as he placed a reassuring hand on the distressed Enty’s arm. Enty looked up at him in confusion.

“B-but he was…”

“I made a mistake and I’m going to fix it…” Aaron said, but Enty avoided his gaze.

“ _You_ broke him…?” Enty whimpered, eying his ‘friend’ in black as he sat unconscious in the chair. Aaron felt his heart drop when he got a disappointed look from Scarecrow.

“I-I didn’t break him, Enty…I just…he got swapped with his double from an alternate dimension, alright? That isn’t our Gabriel.”

“But he…”

“Enty.” Scarecrow cut in, putting a hand on his shoulder. Enty just looked up at him through teary eyes. “Aaron is gonna bring him home, alright? It’ll be ok…” He said as Enty looked back towards the double. Enty just let out a shaky breath and nodded, sliding back away from the group and into the kitchen.

Scarecrow turned and met Aaron’s gaze.

“I just had to tie my friend up with duct tape, Aaron.” Scarecrow said flatly, tossing the roll of tape to the floor. Aaron looked over towards Gabriel.

“I-I’m sorry, Crow, he…he was…Elderane…”

“I got the picture…” Scarecrow said with a sigh as he pulled a chair over. “My fault for leaving those things out…”

“N-no! It’s my fault for doing this!” Aaron said, anger in his voice. Anger towards himself. “I just…I keep messing things up! I don’t know how to just…let things go…” Aaron said as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t just accept that some things didn’t have an answer.

“Aaron, I’m going to say something and I’m only going to say it once.” Scarecrow said plainly as Aaron looked over to him with teary vision. “You are one of the stubbornest, flightiest, and weirdest lunatics I have ever met.

“Th-thanks…”

“ _But._ You _care_ more than anyone I have ever met. You make mistakes, sure, but you always work half to death to fix them as soon as possible.” Scarecrow said, standing to meet Aaron. “You never put yourself first, and that’s probably the only reason the rest of us haven’t died in some ditch somewhere. You look out for us.”

“But I…so many times I’ve gotten you all into trouble…”

“Not more than I have, I’m sure.”

“But…”

“We all make mistakes, clockwork. Lord knows I have.” Scarecrow said with a guilty shrug. “But you work harder than any of us to fix yours, and to me, that’s what’s important.” He stated. Aaron just avoided his gaze and stared at Gabriel. “You’re a moron, but you’re _our_ moron. We ain’t gonna burn you at the stake for something you didn’t mean to do. We know you didn’t do this on purpose, and we _know_ you can fix it.”

“Crow, I-”

“Just…shut up and go back down there. I’ll keep an eye on the double.” He said as he sat back down in the chair. “You just bring Gabriel home, alright?” he said, a waver in his voice. Aaron just stared at him a moment then nodded as he wiped his eyes. He turned and vanished into the basement.

Once Aaron was gone, Scarecrow let out the breath he was holding and threw his hands to his face as he tried to stop tears from falling. He heard a shuffling and looked up to see Enty pull a chair over and sit close beside him, his gaze glued to the floor.

“You really think he can fix him?” Enty muttered quietly, looking up with a soft gaze at Scarecrow.

“Y-yeah. I do.” Scarecrow said. He did for sure. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t mad at him, though…

“He’s scary…” Enty said as he pushed his chair back a bit away from the unconscious double. Scarecrow just took in a slow breath as he eyed him.

“Yeah…he is…” He whispered. The double was still out cold, his head lolling forward as his hair covered his face. Scarecrow couldn’t believe a version of Gabriel could be so cruel.

He had heard commotion upstairs and when he entered the room, he knew exactly what Gabriel had done. He thanked God Aaron was stronger than he looks and could take him, but he still hated seeing his ‘friend’ knocked unconscious. He prayed Aaron fixed the machine soon. He wanted his Gabriel back.

“I miss him…” Enty muttered, leaning his head against Scarecrow’s shoulder. Scarecrow just let him do it as he stared at the double with a sigh.

“So do I…”

“Do you think he’s ok?” Enty asked, leaning his head up. Scarecrow felt more tears threaten to fall from his eyes.

“Yeah…he’s strong…he’ll be fine…” Scarecrow muttered. Gabriel was missing in some unknown world, but…that was something he was familiar with, at least. This was what, the fourth time he went through something like this? Scarecrow just prayed Gabriel didn’t think they abandoned him…

At Scarecrow’s words, Enty just nodded and leaned his head back against Scarecrow. The two sat in silence for a while, just staring at the double. After a few minutes, Enty broke the silence.

“Remember when we got arrested and Gabriel came to help, but he got arrested too?”

Scarecrow felt a small laugh escape him as he recalled.

“Yeah. I do.” He said, pondering the night. Gabriel had always been there to bail him out. “You know he’s gotten me out of trouble more times than I can count…” Scarecrow said with a small smile. Enty leaned his head up and looked at him with curiosity.

“Oh?”

“Y-yeah…back before we met Aaron, it was just the two of us. We weren’t exactly getting by well, so I always resorted to uh…borrowing things from stores.”

“He hates it when you borrow things from places.”

“Yeah, he does. Always has. Every time I did it, I had to lie to get him to let us keep what I found. If he found out, he would try to go back and apologize. I had to drag him away from a store once when he was about to return something I took. He nearly got arrested right there…”

“You two lived alone?”

“Lived is a rough term. We survived, I guess. Bounced from hotel to hotel. He was…” Scarecrow took in a sharp breath as a pang of nostalgia pierced his heart. “He was my first friend.”

“He was?” Enty said brightly. He had known a bit about Scarecrow’s past, but he never really mentioned it in detail like this.

“Yeah…we found each other by chance, just like you and Aaron did.” He said. A smile crept on his face as the memories returned. “Gabe hadn’t the foggiest clue what this world was. I had to show him literally everything. You should have seen him ride a bus for the first time…” Scarecrow laughed. Some tears escaped his eyes he couldn’t control. Enty said nothing but just listened silently with anticipation. Scarecrow noticed and kept talking.

“He was the first person to genuinely give a damn about me…” He muttered, nearly out of earshot. “He…liked my music and actually enjoyed my company.”

“No one else had before?” Enty asked sadly. Scarecrow looked at him and shook his head, causing Enty to hold his arm tighter. Scarecrow gave a small smile as he pondered his and Gabriel’s early days.

“You know, we took a taxi out to the countryside once to go stargazing…he hadn’t seen the stars in forever because we were near the city, so I thought I’d surprise him.”

“Did he like it?” Enty asked excitedly. Scarecrow wiped some tears away with a laugh as he recalled.

“He did, yeah. He cried a lot but then proceeded to spend the rest of the night lecturing me on how to find your way using only the sky. He knew every constellation and star name…he just…wouldn’t shut up…” Scarecrow said as his throat got tighter from the tears. He missed Gabriel’s lectures.

“What else did you do?” Enty asked as he scooted closer.

“Well…there was the time I hit on some girl and he overheard. Guess I got a bit too…into it and he didn’t like what I was saying…”

“How could you tell?”

“He dragged me away by my jacket sleeve and shoved me into the small church that was down the road. He blocked the door and wouldn’t let me out for two hours…” Scarecrow laughed. He was furious at the time but looking back…Gabriel was just trying to help him in the only way he knew how.

“He _is_ always trying to do his church stuff with you…” Enty said with a smile, earning a laugh from Scarecrow.

“Damn right he is...he thought I was a demon when we first met. He still might…” Scarecrow laughed. “I think I’m the reason he carries multiple crosses with him everywhere.” He said. Gabriel had…strong beliefs that Scarecrow often teased him about, but…he wouldn’t change a thing about him or his quirks.

“You said he got you out of trouble?”

“Oh yes…early on he refused to lie to the police, but he’d always bend the truth or dance around it to get me a cover story. Eventually he even started taking hits for me.” Scarecrow said as he recalled the good memories. “Once I torched some idiot’s car while on parole, and to keep me from going behind bars, Gabriel told them it had been him and it was an accident with a firework. He had no record at the time, so the cops believed him and let us go.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, the other guy was furious and in a rage. He was so pissed he swung at a cop, so the guys at the station sympathized with us.”

“It sounds like you two make a good team.” Enty said brightly. Scarecrow eyed him as his mind became a flustered mess. He and Gabriel did work well together, didn’t they…

“Y-yeah…I guess we do.” He said quietly. Gabriel was a good friend. He was always there for him and he never let him down. Scarecrow felt more tears escape his eyes he couldn’t stop. He turned away from Enty as they ran down his face.

“Crow? You alright?” Enty muttered, leaning over. Scarecrow just breathed sharp breaths as the tears ran. He hated crying in front of people. “Crow?”

“I…I just miss him, Enty…” Scarecrow said quietly as he turned back. He couldn’t hide it. Enty looked on sympathetically as Scarecrow’s black makeup ran down his face. Enty smiled softly and hugged Scarecrow who just sat there in tears.

Gabriel was his first friend. They had spent so much time together. He recalled all the times Gabriel had been by his side when he needed him. Where he helped encourage Scarecrow with his music and his dreams. When his world was crashing down on him…or when his past was catching up to him. Gabriel didn’t always understand, but he would always listen.

He would always listen.

Scarecrow covered his mouth to stifle a cry as the tears ran down his face. Gabriel had always kept his promises to Scarecrow, but now…would Scarecrow ever get the chance to keep his? What if…what if Aaron failed…

“You all are a bunch of losers.”

Scarecrow and Enty looked up in fright as they met the double’s annoyed gaze. Gabriel laughed when he saw the black tear stains on Scarecrow’s face.

“Aww, sentimental, are we? Buncha spineless wusses.” He said as he rolled his eyes. Scarecrow clenched his fist.

“You shut the hell up. Aaron’s gonna fix that machine and send you straight back to whatever pit you came from and we’ll have _our_ Gabriel back.” Scarecrow sneered. The double laughed again.

“God, even in this world you all are pathetic. Why get so emotional? What do you have to gain?”

“We make each other happy…” Enty muttered as he scooted back more. Gabriel just stared at him.

“Happy? HA! If this world is anything like mine, you all must drive each other crazy!”

“Well…yeah, we do. But that’s what families do!” Enty said firmly. Scarecrow gave a small smile and nodded in agreement. The double just laughed more.

“ _Family?_ You all must be joking!” He said as he laughed. “You all ain’t a family! I saw how you argue!”

“We argue, but we make up, you dumbass.” Scarecrow growled, his smile fading. Gabriel just kept laughing.

“Oh, gimme a break. You all may think you’re a family, but then before you know it, you’re stabbed in the back and left for dead.” He said coldly, causing Enty to whimper. Scarecrow just glared at him.

“Family has never done me any good. The idiots from my world have never been there for me when I needed them, and they never will.” He said coldly.

Enty tried to read the double’s face. He was angry, but…Enty swore he could see some sadness in his eyes.

“Well…do you treat them nice?” Enty asked, some confidence returning to his voice. Scarecrow just stared dumbfounded at Enty. The double did the same.

“N-nice? The hell you mean nice?” He sneered.

“Christ, you moron, _nice!_ Like…helping them, listening to them, complimenting them, hanging out with them, normal friend things!” Scarecrow yelled in frustration. The double just stared.

“I…did not know those were normal things people do…” He muttered, looking down. Enty felt a pang of hurt shoot through his heart. “No one ever did those with me…” Gabriel whispered as he avoided their gazes. Enty just stared. Had this double really never been shown kindness…?

“Look, maybe if you weren’t an inconsiderate creep, people would treat you better…” Scarecrow growled as he thought of Elderane. The double’s head shot up.

“He deserved that! He’s walked all over me for years in my world, and now I finally had a chance to walk back!”

“But this wasn’t your Elderane!”

“I don’t _care!”_

“This is why people don’t treat you right! Your first reaction to someone you know is a _stranger_ is to hurt them! Did you ever connect those dots?!” Scarecrow yelled as he stood. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, you could have a family that cares for you if you _TREAT THEM LIKE A FAMILY?!”_

Gabriel just paused as he stared daggers at Scarecrow who hovered above him.

“That’s a lot of talk coming from someone like you.”

“The hell does that mean?”

“You are _obviously_ the complete opposite of the Scarecrow in my world.” Gabriel said with a sneer. “He’s a coward, a pushover, and a fearful idiot. I saw your room and the dangerous things you have. You’re _destructive.”_

“Choose your next words _very_ carefully…” Scarecrow growled. Enty stood and took a step back as the tension rose. Gabriel just smiled.

“You’re a danger. A _threat._ I heard you talking about your police run-ins. How many times have you dragged your ‘family’ down with you?” Gabriel laughed. “How many times have they gotten in trouble because of you?”

“You better shut up _right_ now…” Scarecrow said as he clenched his fist. Enty let out a whimper as Gabriel gave a wicked smile.

“How many times have you gotten them _hurt?_ That’s not exactly what a good _‘family’_ doe-”

Gabriel was cut off as Scarecrow threw a punch his way, hitting him hard as Enty let out a cry. Gabriel’s head just lolled forward again as his hair blocked his face. He was out cold.

Scarecrow breathed heavily for a moment as the adrenaline wore off. A small whimper snapped him back to reality as he turned around. As he met Enty’s fearful gaze, Enty took a step back in fright. Scarecrow looked back to Gabriel and saw some blood drip down his face as he sat there unconscious.

He had punched Gabriel…

Scarecrow turned back to Enty and took a step forward, but Enty retreated more.

“Enty? Come on, I…I didn’t…” Scarecrow said but Enty kept backing up.

“You hurt him…”

“Enty, he…he hurt Elderane!” He said, but Enty just kept backing up.

“But you didn’t…he…” Enty looked confusingly between Scarecrow and the double. He had no idea what to think anymore. With a small cry, he heel turned and ran up the stairs out of sight. Scarecrow just stood in the living room alone with the unconscious Gabriel.

Scarecrow looked down at his hands. His fist was sore now. He had hit Gabriel _hard._

Was the double right…? Was he really that destructive? Was he _really_ that much of a threat?

Taking in a shaky breath, Scarecrow sat back down in his chair as he stared blankly ahead with wide eyes. How many times _had_ he gotten his family hurt…?

There was the time with the neighbors car fire…and Gabriel at the bar…and Enty with the shed collapsing…and the numerous times he fought Aaron in a drunken haze…or the many different fires he’s started around the house…the Acedia incident…

Oh, God, he really was a threat to his family…

Scarecrow looked up at the unconscious double once more. How long would it be until he did that to one of his friends out of impulse? Scarecrow felt more tears fall from his eyes as he hid his face in his hands. The double was right.

He was a threat.


	9. The Dark Side of Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel sees how the alternate Elderane treats his Gabriel.

Gabriel stood in frozen shock as he took in the sight before him. Elderane stood there glaring at him with a hungry look in his eyes as Gabriel took a step back. This…wasn’t his Elderane. _It couldn’t be_.

He was wearing a long dark green jacket with some fluff along the edges with glittering sequins along the front and along the bottom trim. He had black leather flared pants on, shiny black shoes, and a revealing cropped shirt that only covered his upper chest.

Elderane held a long thin black cane in his hand and had small black sunglasses over his eyes. He had a small black fedora on that had a matching green feather on it and a green sequined ribbon. His hair was slightly longer and looked more prepped and pampered. It too had some glitter strewn in it. Gabriel saw he had some makeup on as well as black shining painted nails.

He was dressed flashy. _Egotistical._ Gabriel’s Elderane would never wear such a… _corrupted_ outfit.

“And what is with the odd clothes, love?” Elderane said playfully as he walked forward. Gabriel couldn’t find the words to speak as the elf approached him.

Elderane was wearing an outfit much too revealing. Gabriel tried his best to keep his eyes locked on the elf’s face as he swallowed nervously. Elderane stood before him though Gabriel couldn’t read his emotions. He looked calm, but…sinister. He held the cane in his hands higher as Gabriel stared dumbfounded at his ‘friend’.

“I said…” Elderane sneered as he swung the cane towards the stunned Gabriel, sending him flying backwards as the cane hit his head with a hard snap. “What is with the _odd clothes_ , love?” He repeated, colder now as Gabriel fell to his knees and held his head in his hands.

Gabriel’s ears were ringing as he got his bearings, though he didn’t have long to process as Elderane sent a kick his way, sending him flat to the ground as he let out a pained cry. He opened his eyes, and his vision was spinning as he tried to get up, but he felt an airy cry escape him as Elderane placed a foot on his chest and held him in place on the floor.

“I really thought you were doing better…” Elderane said disappointedly as Gabriel tried to squirm away but couldn’t. He let out another involuntary cry as Elderane put more weight down and kneeled on top of him. “You told me you would behave…”

“I-I don’t…”

“Shut up.” Elderane commanded as he reached down towards the shaking Gabriel’s head.

“P-please, I don’t-”

“SHUT UP!” Elderane screamed, sending a hard slap Gabriel’s way. Gabriel wanted to hold his stinging cheek, but Elderane grabbed his wrist and pinned it down to the floor. Gabriel just let out a fearful whimper, causing Elderane to smile softly. “Good. See what happens when you listen?” Elderane said, stroking Gabriel’s cheek softly with his other hand. Gabriel just took it as he feared to move again. It felt like his Elderane’s touch.

Elderane smiled slyly and nodded, pulling himself to his feet as Gabriel coughed and huddled in on himself as the weight was lifted off his chest.

“Get up.” Elderane commanded, grabbing his cane. Gabriel just looked up with teary vision at the elf and flinched when he held the cane higher. He quickly scrambled to his feet, earning a warm smile from Elderane. “You make things too difficult, love.” He said as he turned the cane over in his hands.

“I-I really…”

Gabriel was cut off as Elderane threw the cane aside and grabbed Gabriel’s shawl collar and quickly shoved him against the wall. Gabriel let out a pained cry as he hit the wall hard. He breathed quickly as Elderane pushed himself closer to Gabriel’s body. Gabriel looked away to avoid his gaze.

“Look at me, Gabriel.” Elderane sneered. Gabriel just squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Elderane just let out a small laugh then pulled Gabriel away from the wall and then pushed him back against it, harder this time. Gabriel cried out in pain at the force. “Let’s try that again…” Elderane said, pushing himself closer to the shaking Gabriel, their bodies touching. “Look. At. _Me.”_ He repeated. Gabriel let out a whimper and opened his eyes, meeting the lustful gaze of the elf pinning him against the wall. He felt Elderane’s hand stroke his chin. Elderane smiled. “You really _are_ misbehaving today…” He muttered, eying Gabriel up and down. “Promise me you won’t do it again. You know how I hate to damage that face of yours…”

“I-I uh…” Gabriel started, his mind a flustered mess as he met the elf’s bright eyes. Elderane tilted his head with a smile and gripped Gabriel’s shawl collar tighter, causing Gabriel to let out a cough as he was pulled off the floor slightly.

“ _Promise_ me you won’t _misbehave…”_ Elderane soothed through gritted teeth, leaning closer to Gabriel. Gabriel felt a bit of himself break away.

“I won’t m-misbehave…” Gabriel cried quietly as he earned a pleased look from Elderane.

“That’s what I like to hear…” Elderane said. Before Gabriel could say anything else, Elderane quickly swung Gabriel around and thew him onto the couch behind him, quickly positioning himself on top of Gabriel.

Gabriel tried to scurry away, but Elderane grabbed his wrist again and positioned his knee between Gabriel’s legs, preventing him from escaping. The elf pressed his chest against the man below him. Gabriel felt his nerves spike at the much too close contact as Elderane’s weight pinned him down.

“You are so _pathetic_ …” Elderane muttered lightly as he looked over the sweating Gabriel. “Just doing what everyone _tells_ you to do…” He soothed, gently running his other hand through Gabriel’s hair. Gabriel tried to turn away but Elderane grabbed his chin tightly and forced their gazes to lock. “But you know I _like_ it when you obey…”

“P-please…”

“Oh, I will.” Elderane laughed as he leaned close. Gabriel felt the elf move closer to his face. He turned his head slightly away. It was all he could do. He cringed when he felt Elderane’s lips on his skin, the elf’s warm breath moving up his neck towards his face. Gabriel was breathing heavy as the elf pinned him. He wanted to run. He wanted to. But he couldn’t.

Gabriel jumped slightly and tensed when he felt Elderane’s other hand reach under his robe and grab the inside of his leg.

“E-Elderane…!” Gabriel managed to get out through a tight throat as tears escaped his eyes. He could push him away. He could. Why wasn’t he? Elderane just laughed as he pulled his lips away from Gabriel’s neck.

“Oh, my love, I can make you _scream_ my name…” He muttered wickedly, leaning back down. Gabriel cringed and let out an involuntary gasp when he felt Elderane’s hand move farther under his robe and up his leg. He wanted to cry. This was wrong, this was wrong, _this was wrong!!!_

“G-get _off_ him!!!” A voice screamed from the other side of the couch. Gabriel took in a sharp breath as he felt Elderane’s weight lift off him. He looked up through teary vision and saw Scarecrow there, his guitar raised above his head.

“Now listen-” Elderane started but was cut off as Scarecrow swung the guitar down onto Elderane’s head with a scream, sending him falling back to the floor in a shower of splintered wood. He didn’t get up. Gabriel sat up straight as his heart pounded out of his chest. He gripped it as his breathing quickened, his eyes looking to the unconscious Elderane on the floor.

Oh, God, what has he _done…_

Gabriel shot to his feet as he staggered back away, gripping his chest tightly as Scarecrow looked at him with worry.

“G-Gabriel, it-it’s ok! He won’t bother you or I any-”

“W-what have I _DONE?!”_ Gabriel screamed, grabbing his hair as tears streamed from his eyes and down his face. He stared at Elderane.

He had listened to him. Let him tempt him.

He gave in.

“G-Gabriel, please!” Scarecrow yelled, setting the broken guitar on the floor. Gabriel was hyperventilating as he backed away. Scarecrow heard a noise and turned to see Enty slide into the living room quietly, his expression blank.

Gabriel wasn’t looking at them. He was looking at the elf on the floor. He had let him touch him. Manipulate him. He _let_ him do it.

Gabriel betrayed _his_ Elderane.

Letting out a shrill cry, Gabriel gripped his hair tight and pulled it as he fell to his knees, his eyes wide as panic overtook his senses. Scarecrow ran over and kneeled next to him, with Enty quietly moving over as well.

“No no _no no no_ …” He cried as he stared blankly ahead, his mind a cacophony of guilt and horror. Scarecrow tried to reach his hand out to him, but Gabriel just shrunk back with another shrill cry.

“Gabriel _, please_ …” Scarecrow urged, but Gabriel just kept breathing faster.

He had sinned. He had sinned and let the counterpart tempt him. He gave in. He let him do it. He betrayed his love. He was a sinner. He was corrupted. He was going to bur-

Gabriel’s dangerous and loud thoughts were cut off as he felt someone hug him from behind, their arms wrapping tightly around him.

He turned and looked on with blurry vision and saw Enty’s flames behind him. Enty was hugging him. He felt himself let out another broken cry as he fell limp in Enty’s arms, though the man supported him and didn’t let go. Gabriel just sat there as tears silently streamed down his face. He looked over and felt more contact when Scarecrow joined the hug.

For a moment, Gabriel just sat there in his friend’s counterpart’s arms as he cried. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, burying his face into Scarecrow’s shoulder. The doubles just held him tighter as he sobbed.

What has he _done…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;-; I am so sorry Gab,,,
> 
> Makes yah wonder about alternate dimension (ad) Gabe..hm.
> 
> Is Enty genuine? Or is he just mimicking the Nice feeling he saw earlier? Who knows ;)


	10. No Turning Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So close...so close...and yet...disaster.

Enty slowly quickly slid up the stairs as tears filled his eyes.

His friend was broken. Gabriel had hurt him and said mean things to him and Scarecrow. He apparently hurt Elderane. He was cruel and sinful.

His Gabriel was gone.

Enty shook his head of the visual of Scarecrow punching the double. It wasn’t their Gabriel, it wasn’t their Gabriel, it wasn’t…

His sad look, though…Enty couldn’t shake the sad look from Gabriel’s eyes. Enty may not know much, but he knew emotions. He knew genuine emotions.

There was more behind the cold and broken Gabriel than they knew, Enty had a feeling.

But he was unconscious now and would probably stay that way. There was too much yelling downstairs, too much tension. Enty couldn’t take it. It was too much.

He knew Scarecrow was just looking out for them, but it was just…too much.

Enty was about to reach for his door and slide into his room when he noticed something. Gabriel’s door was still closed. Elderane was still in there all alone.

Enty took in a breath and walked to the door, knocking softly. He got no response. He didn’t hear anything from the other side of the door. Worried for his friend, he twisted the door handle and walked inside.

Elderane was kneeling defeatedly on the floor by the desk, a bunch of Gabriel’s books and papers in front of him. Enty walked closer and recognized Gabriel’s favorite journal there, as well as a number of photographs of Gabriel and the others that had been taken over the course of them living together. Elderane didn’t react and was just staring at them.

“Elderane? Are you alright…?” Enty asked quietly, sitting on the floor behind Elderane. Elderane just shuddered as he took in a sharp breath.

“Did…Aaron fix the machine?”

“N-not yet…”

“Then go away.”

Feeling a pang of hurt, Enty made a move to turn and leave until he heard a cry from Elderane. He saw the elf sit on the floor lower and throw his hands to his head, hiding his face as he began sobbing. Enty felt his own tears return at the sound of Elderane’s anguished cries.

“I-I’m sorry…Enty…please…” Elderane whimpered as he shook his head. “I’m sorry…”

Enty just saw the elf shake in place as he sat there, huddled in on himself. Enty knew Elderane and Gabriel liked each other a lot. The whole house loved each other, even if Scarecrow refused to admit it, but Enty knew Gabriel and Elderane had a special love unique to them.

They were closer in a different way, and it broke Enty’s heart to see Elderane without his Gabriel. They belonged together.

That’s when Enty realized something horrid…he heard the double hurt Elderane. Elderane was hurt by the one who he loved most. Enty had been also hurt by the double, but Elderane and Gabriel had the special love. Elderane was broken. Enty knew how he felt.

Quietly shuffling over as Elderane sobbed, Enty reached Elderane from behind and wrapped his arms around the elf’s arms and chest in a hug. Elderane paused a moment in his grasp as he looked up, tears streaming down his face as he faced away from Enty.

“Aaron will bring him home…” Enty muttered as tears streamed down his face. His shadows took up more of him when he heard Elderane choke back a broken sob. “You found each other across dimensions before…you can do it again.”

Elderane sat in Enty’s backwards hug as he struggled to breathe with how tight his throat was. He glanced down at the floor and saw the photos and writings of Gabriel. The only things he had left of him. He looked at one particular photo that sat on top.

It was of him and Gabriel on Christmas morning. Aaron had been taking photos the entire holiday, and that one was Elderane’s favorite. It was of him and Gabriel in their winter outfits standing by the fireplace, smiling wide as Aaron took the photo. They were happy then. Warm. Content. All was well. It had been their first Christmas together.

His Gabriel. His soft and kind Gabriel. Elderane felt Enty rest his head on his back as he held him tighter. Elderane raised a shaky hand and placed it on Enty’s arm as he hugged him. It felt like Gabriel’s embrace.

Elderane closed his eyes and thought of his Gabriel, so far away now. Would he ever get home? Elderane glanced at the photo again.

Would he ever see that smile again?

Elderane shook his head.

Gabriel had to get home. Elderane had to keep hope up. Gabriel was worth it.

He let his emotions take over as he sobbed again, the tears falling freely as Enty hugged him from behind. God bless Enty. He felt the shadowy man hold him tighter as he too cried. Elderane knew he probably felt the same that he did. The double had hurt him as well.

For a while, Elderane just sat in Enty’s reassuring embrace as they both cried. No more words needed to be said. They both understood. Elderane just closed his eyes and took in the soft feeling as he calmed his breathing. Enty had stopped making noise and was just holding him tightly now. After a few more minutes, Elderane reached up and wiped his eyes, pulling away from Enty. He turned around to face the man.

Enty smiled at him warmly as Elderane got his bearings. He placed a calming hand on Elderane’s knee as the elf breathed. Elderane just met his gaze with a small smile and nodded.

Enty still had hope. Elderane must as well.

Before he could say a word to Enty, Aaron ran into the room, breathing heavy.

“I finished the device.” He said firmly, urgent excitement in his voice. Elderane’s eyes widened and he nodded. Enty helped him stand as he got shakily to his feet. He followed the group downstairs.

Aaron had wired up the odd clock-looking device to the house and had it sitting on the coffee table. Gabriel’s double was awake again and looking annoyed as more people came downstairs.

“Right. To avoid any accidents and to make sure he gets home, I’m going to take the double and go myself to the other dimension.” Aaron said, grabbing a pair of scissors as he walked towards the double.

“B-but what if you…” Enty started.

“Someone had to go and none of you know how to work this device or fix it if it breaks. I need to be there to reactivate it and get us home.”

“Aaron…” Elderane said sadly. Aaron just met his gaze with a look of determination.

“I did this, Elderane. Let me undo it. I want my friend back.” He said firmly as he glanced at the double. The double just scoffed.

“Honestly, can’t see _why_ he’d _want_ to come back. With how you all treat me, it’s a wonder he’s even _alive_.” He said with a laugh. Scarecrow felt a pang of guilt jab at his heart at the double’s words. He had gotten Gabriel hurt so many times before…

Aaron saw the change in Scarecrow’s stature and gave a hard yank on the tape holding the double down, earning an annoyed yell from him.

“We all make mistakes, alright? It’s how we work to right them that matters.” Aaron said as he freed the double. Gabriel just met his gaze with confusion as he rubbed his wrists and stood.

“But you…”

“We have gotten him hurt, yes. But he forgives us. You know why?” Aaron said, leading the double to the spot by the TV. Gabriel just blinked. “Because we’re family. He knows we’d never hurt him intentionally. And every time something happens…we work to make it right. That’s what families do.”

Gabriel just stared at the odd group around him. He saw Enty edge closer to Elderane and put an arm around him.

“You all…really care about each other? Even if you hurt each other?” Gabriel asked Aaron. The scientist nodded. “We aren’t perfect, but that’s ok. No one is. As long as you make an effort to be better…” Aaron said, eying Scarecrow who just turned away. Aaron looked back to the double. “…then that is how you earn trust.”

“And love!” Enty yelled. Aaron smiled at his friend.

Gabriel just eyed the odd group and the place around him. He saw group photos along the walls. They were all happy. His double was happy. He looked towards Elderane. The elf had red and tearstained eyes. He genuinely loved his Gabriel. They all genuinely loved each other.

Why…couldn’t he have that?

Once he made eye contact with the elf, Elderane turned away. Gabriel watched as the elf raised a hand and rubbed his throat. He could see a bruise there from where he had strangled him. Gabriel had hurt him, and…he felt…bad.

He had never felt bad about something like this before.

Why did he feel bad?

He remembered his Elderane. All the pain he had inflicted. Gabriel hated him. He _hated_ the pain. Gabriel looked to his own hands. He had caused the same hurt. He had done the same things his Elderane had done.

That…wasn’t love.

No wonder his roommates hated him.

He was no better than Elderane.

He looked on as Aaron said a few final reassuring goodbyes to his family. Enty ran and hugged him, nearly knocking him over. Elderane gave him a gentle hug and handed him a sheathed dagger, which Aaron attached to his belt. Gabriel could see the elf was crying again. Scarecrow just let out a sigh when Aaron approached.

“Just…don’t screw this up, alright?” Scarecrow muttered as Aaron stood before him.

“I promise, I’ll bring him home.” He said reassuringly. Gabriel watched as Aaron pulled Scarecrow into a hug, though the man hardly returned it.

Gabriel just watched the scene play out. Is…this what he could have had? If he had acted differently? Could he have had a family that cares about him? Genuinely?

No. No one actually cares about him. No one ever has.

His roommates hated him. They’d never care.

Gabriel fought back some revealing tears as Aaron came back, the device in his hand.

“Ok. Time to set things right…” Aaron said as he messed with the device. The others in the room stood back as the electricity in the house surged again, causing the lights to flicker. Elderane saw a familiar static appear around the TV, and soon reality bent around Aaron and the double, encasing them in a bright light, causing Elderane to shield his eyes.

After a few moments, the light faded, and he opened his eyes. Aaron and the double were gone. They had done it. They were one step closer to getting Gabriel back. He breathed out a sigh of relief but was cut off as he heard a terrified yell from Scarecrow.

“FUCK, _AARON!!!”_ He screamed in horror, grabbing his hair tightly. Elderane and Enty looked at him with worry.

“Scarecrow, wha-”

“LOOK!” Scarecrow pointed to by the TV. Elderane leaned over the couch and felt his heart stop when he saw the dimensional device broken on the floor, as if Aaron had dropped it.

It hadn’t gone with them.

_Their friends had no way to get back._

Scarecrow breathed heavy as he gripped his hair, blackened tears now streaming openly down his face. Enty covered his mouth with his hands and stifled a whimper as he took a few steps back. Elderane just rounded the couch and stood silently before the broken device. It was shattered. Beyond what the three of them could repair.

Elderane felt all feeling leave him as he fell to his knees before the empty spot his friends had vanished.

Gabriel and Aaron were gone for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> F in the chat...


	11. Take You Home Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the damage be undone? Can old scars heal?

Aaron felt solid ground appear beneath his feet as he stumbled back as the horrid ringing filled his mind. He took a moment to rub his eyes as he shook the sound away.

“Yep. Home sweet fucking home.”

Aaron opened his eyes to see the double standing with his arms crossed next to him, a gloomy look on his face. Aaron looked around and took in the scene, understanding why the double felt the way he did.

It was their house, but it was dismal. He could see at least eight health violations just from a brief scan. The number of fist-sized holes in the walls worried him.

“This is…your house?” Aaron said nervously, eying the dim, worn-out, and messy room. Gabriel just nodded.

“Fucking is.”

“W-where’s my Gabriel?” Aaron said fearfully as he looked around. The house was a mess, but it seemed empty. He didn’t see nay sign of life in the living room or kitchen. The double just scoffed.

“Enty probably killed him, the fucking abomination…” He muttered with a shiver. Aaron felt a pang of hurt and worry stab his heart. That…couldn’t be true…

“Let’s just…” Aaron started, but stopped when he heard a new noise echo from upstairs. Gabriel noticed it too and seemed genuinely confused by the sound.

It was music. Aaron heard guitar playing and muffled singing. Gabriel just rolled his eyes.

“It’s just Crow taking advantage of me not being here to tell him to shut up.” He sneered as Aaron started walking towards the stairs. He paused and looked at Gabriel.

“And you wonder why they don’t like you.” Aaron said coldly before turning back to the stairs. Gabriel just stared at him in silence as Aaron went up the stairs. He shook his head than followed. They reached the top and Aaron saw the sound was indeed coming from Scarecrow’s room. He leaned inside and felt a smile form on his face when he looked in. The double looked in as well, though he had a look of complete speechless shock on.

Scarecrow was sitting under the window holding a now very broken guitar. It was now held together by duct tape, and it hardly made sound as it was now missing two strings, but it made enough noise Scarecrow could get a melody out of it. He was singing softly as Enty and the original Gabriel sat across from him.

Gabriel had a blanket draped over him and he held a hot mug of tea in his hands as he listened with his eyes closed. He was shaking slightly, but he had a small smile on his face. Enty was sitting there expressionless, though the double saw an odd brightness in his eyes he had never seen Enty have before. He was...enjoying the music.

Enty was feeling something.

Enty never felt.

The double and Aaron just watched for a moment as Scarecrow sang.

_“If only you could be…the one to take a look inside…I feel so incomplete…”_

The double couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Scarecrow looked…relaxed. He was smiling. He was happy. This other version of himself had been here less than a day and he had become friends with Scarecrow. He had been here less than a day and helped Enty act human.

The double looked at his hands again. Was he that cold that his double’s warmth reached his roommates so deeply?

Could it be possible he do the same…?

He looked back to Scarecrow. For the first time, he noticed how sick he looked. He noticed how pale and skinny. How ratty his hair was. He noticed the bruises and cuts, some not yet healed.

Bruises and cuts he gave him.

_“A broken man in need of mother love…I'm suffering in silence, and no one wants to see…”_

Gabriel listened to his roommates singing. He had never listened to it before. He always told him to shut up before he could even mutter a phrase. His singing…was good.

Did Scarecrow write that song?

_“And only god is watching as I bleed…a star above, my matching piece…”_

Gabriel felt…sad. He felt a pang of hurt hit his heart as he heard the words. The others had been right. He was a menace. A cruel cold-hearted menace. Scarecrow never hurt a soul and yet…Gabriel tortured him.

He tortured him because Gabriel had been tortured. Gabriel wanted to be on top. To win. To not be weak like he was always told he was. Gabriel had been willing to stoop to Elderane’s level to accomplish this.

Why?

Was this…really worth it? He eyed the tired and tearstained eyes of Scarecrow. Had Gabriel really thought this…normal?

He recalled the alternate dimension. He recalled the love. How they cared for each other. He felt…bad when he thought of the alternate Elderane. He was innocent…like his Scarecrow was. And yet Gabriel hurt him.

Alternate Scarecrow was right. He was an inconsiderate creep.

He could never make up for what he’s done.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a gasp from inside the room. Aaron had stepped into the doorway and the original Gabriel had thrown his hands to his mouth as tears escaped his eyes. Scarecrow looked scared for a moment but smiled when he realized who it was.

Aaron ran into the room and kneeled beside Gabriel, pulling him into a hug.

“A-Aaron…” Gabriel muttered, clinging to his friend tightly as his tears returned. Aaron couldn’t hold back his own tears as he closed his eyes and held Gabriel tightly.

Their Gabriel.

“Gabe, I…I am so, _so sorry_ …” He cried brokenly, his body shaking as he sobbed. He didn’t want to let go.

“You…came back for me…” Gabriel whispered. Aaron let out a teary laugh and pulled away as he wiped his eyes.

“Of course, you moron! We’d never leave you!” He cried with a smile. Gabriel’s throat felt tight as his tears returned. He couldn’t speak. Aaron just laughed as he cried and pulled Gabriel back into a hug.

The double looked over and saw Enty holding his own arms in a self-hug as he watched. He was…smiling. Enty was smiling.

He’d never seen Enty smile.

He looked over and felt his blood freeze when he locked eyes with Scarecrow. Scarecrow had looked calm and happy seconds ago, but when he met Gabriel’s gaze…

He looked terrified.

Aaron pulled away from his Gabriel and looked over towards the double. The double met his gaze as Aaron motioned for him to enter the room. Gabriel took in a shaky breath and reluctantly entered.

As he neared, Enty slid over in front of Scarecrow, blocking him from Gabriel. The double froze as he saw a determined look in the shadowy man’s eyes. He thought he was going to hurt Scarecrow.

Gabriel just took in a shaky breath and backed away, leaning against the far wall. Aaron shook his head and turned back to his Gabriel.

“You have no idea how worried we were…” He said. “Elderane especially…”

“Oh, is he alright?” Gabriel asked worriedly.

The double felt his heartrate pick up at his double’s words. He glanced at Aaron. Aaron just took in a sharp breath.

“He’s shaken. He’s going to need one of your hugs, I think when you get back.” He said with a smile. Gabriel smiled back. Elderane missed him…

He should have never let those intrusive thoughts get to him.

“Gabe, really, this was all my fault…” Aaron said sadly. He eyed Gabriel. The man was still shivering slightly, and his eyes were quite red and tearstained, and he had a cut on his head. Something had happened. He eyed the double. If Gabriel’s relationship with Elderane was genuine love, then the double’s relationship…

Oh, God…

“Gabe…were you hurt?” He said quietly. Gabriel just avoided his gaze as he held his arms closer to himself, holding his sore ribs. The double looked his way. He saw the bandaged cut on Gabriel’s head. He saw the look in his eyes.

He knew exactly who was responsible.

“I-I…I was…” Gabriel started, his tears returning as he recalled Elderane’s double. Aaron saw fear appear in his eyes. “I…do not like the alternate Elderane…” He whispered as he rubbed his neck where the double had touched him. Aaron’s heart shattered when he realized what had happened.

The alternate Elderane better pray he never sets foot in this house. Aaron was going to do his Scarecrow proud and make the man _suffer._

“H-he won’t hurt him any more…” Scarecrow said, edging forward. Aaron and the double met his gaze. “I…I got rid of him.”

“YOU got rid of him?!” The double yelled. Scarecrow flinched at the loud sound but nodded quickly.

“He was going to hurt him…I couldn’t let him…” He muttered, eying the original Gabriel who smiled at him.

The double couldn’t believe it. Scarecrow was a coward. He was weak. He’s never stood up for himself, let alone someone else. He had let Elderane get away with hurting Gabriel time and time again and never stepped in once to help.

Why did he do it to the double?

Gabriel felt more tears threaten to escape his eyes. It was because his double was nice. His double cared. He listened to Scarecrow’s music. He helped him.

Gabriel did none of that. He didn’t deserve Scarecrow’s protection.

“Well…thank you very much, Scarecrow…” Aaron said warmly as he placed a hand on the double’s knee. Scarecrow looked up proudly.

“I hit him with my guitar!”

“You love that stupid thing!” Gabriel’s double yelled again, eying the now busted instrument. Scarecrow didn’t flinch this time, but instead met his gaze.

“My friend was in trouble.”

Gabriel’s double watched in silence as Aaron, Gabriel, and Scarecrow began talking happily, with Enty silently watching. He had never considered the possibility that his roommates could be his…friends.

The group before him were talking and smiling. They were happy. Scarecrow had scared Elderane away. One person showed genuine kindness to the household and everything was different. Everything was changing.

Maybe…he should try to change with them.

“Come on, Gabe. We wait any longer, Elderane’s going to burn my basement.” Aaron said with a laugh as he helped Gabriel to his feet. Gabriel just nodded as he followed Aaron out the door. Scarecrow stuck close to them and Enty trailed behind. Gabriel’s double met the man’s gaze. Enty was looking at him with steely eyes. Gabriel swallowed nervously.

Enty wasn’t going to let him hurt Scarecrow anymore.

The group entered the living room and Gabriel’s double hung back and leaned against the wall by the basement door.

“So…how do we get back?” Gabriel said, eying Aaron who walked near the coffee table.

“Well, first we-ah…” He cut off as he lowered his hand and froze in his tracks.

“What?”

“Oh…oh dear…”

“What?!”

“I have made…a miscalculation…”

“Aaron, what do you mean?!” Gabriel yelled, his nerves rising. Aaron slowly turned around to meet Gabriel’s eyes. Aaron looked afraid.

“The machine…it seems the machine didn’t go with us when we traveled…” He said, looking around the floor. Gabriel felt his heart go cold.

“Y-you can…still get us home right?”

Gabriel’s double looked up and saw the fear on their counterpart’s faces. Scarecrow looked afraid as he hung back with Enty, who held on to his arm. Aaron stopped his searching and looked up at Gabriel in defeat.

“I…I can’t…” He whispered softly, earning a fearful cry from Gabriel. “…not without the machine…”

“C-can you build a new one?” Scarecrow asked stepping forward. Aaron looked down in thought.

“I…do have most of the schematics memorized, but the project took me months to complete!” He yelled as he ran a hand through his hair. “And that was in a place with familiar tools and, and my notes and…”

“What if there were two of you idiots working on it?” Gabriel’s double said coldly, not looking up. Aaron paused.

“What do you…”

Before he could finish, the basement door opened, and Aaron’s double slid tiredly out. Aaron was…distressed at the sight of his double. He was a mess. His hair was much too long and untamed, he was wearing sloppy modern clothes, and was missing his glasses. The double just looked around the room in tired confusion.

“…Right. This is…something…” He said sluggishly as he made for the kitchen. He started making coffee as Aaron stared in shock. He met his Gabriel’s gaze and mouthed ‘that’s me?!’ to him. Gabriel just took in a nervous breath and nodded.

“Oh boy…” Aaron muttered. The double had gotten his coffee and was about to descend the stairs when Enty blocked his way.

“Oi, move you dunce.” Aaron whined, hitting Enty lightly. Enty didn’t budge. Aaron met his eyes and took a step back when he saw their piercing gaze. “The hell is…”

“You need to help them!” Scarecrow pleaded, edging towards Aaron’s double. He just turned his gaze towards his counterparts then looked back to Scarecrow.

“Why…?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do! They helped us!” Scarecrow pleaded. Aaron’s double juts scoffed.

“Didn’t help me. Look, I don’t got time for this…” He said as he tried to push past Enty. Enty didn’t budge and instead pushed him back. “Hey! Watch it…the coffee…” He grumbled, holding the mug close.

“Aaron!” Scarecrow said, forcibly. The double just stared at him. Scarecrow never raised his voice. Something weird was going on…

“W-what do you want again?” He said, confused as he began to realize the changes in his roommates. The original Aaron stepped forward.

“We are from an alternate dimension. The device I made that got us here is stuck in my world. Can you help me build a new one? I can write out all the plans and if we work together, we could have it done in a few days!”

“Th-that’s…a lot of work…” The double whined. Gabriel’s double just scoffed.

“Look, you idiot. I can hardly handle one of you, let alone two. These morons don’t belong here, and I don’t want them here.” He said, his voice raising as he stood up. Aaron’s double took a nervous step back. “So, you help them, or _else.”_ Gabriel growled, edging closer. Before he could get too close, Enty slid over and stood between Aaron and Gabriel. Gabriel’s eyes widened when he saw the look of terror on Aaron’s face.

He was doing it again.

Shaking his head with an annoyed huff, he turned and went back to his place against the wall and looked away. Aaron’s double eyed Enty as he turned around.

“Th-thank you…Enty…” Aaron said, confused as Enty faced him. He felt his heart skip when he saw Enty give a small smile.

Enty never smiled…

“Please, I know it’s a lot, but you’re the only one who can help me!” Aaron said, edging closer. His double met him halfway and looked him over, noticing the fancy clothes.

“You…seem to have your life in order…”

“HAH!” The original Gabriel yelled, though he immediately covered his mouth with his hands. Aaron smiled and shook his head.

“Not really, no. I don’t exactly sleep…”

“I sleep too much…”

“Well, combined we could make one functioning adult.”

“M-maybe…” The double said. It…had been so long since he completed a project…he did miss it sometimes…

“Please? I know it is much to ask, but…” Aaron said quietly as he eyed Gabriel. “…we have to get back to our family…I can’t do this alone.”

The double just looked at him. He turned to see Enty and Scarecrow talking with Gabriel now. They were smiling. They were…laughing.

Since when did his roommates laugh? It was almost like they were acting like…a family. Maybe he could take part in that…the house has been cold for so long.

He looked up and met Aaron’s gaze. He smiled and nodded, reaching his hand out to shake the double’s. Original Aaron smiled back and accepted.

“Thank you, Mr. Blackwell.” Aaron said as he pulled his hand away. The double eyed him.

“Th-thank you…Aaron…w-what do we do first?”

“Well, we need some materials. How much mechanical stuff do you have?”

“Not much…”

“We should send the others to the store then.”

“They won’t listen to me…”

Aaron met his double’s sad gaze and laughed.

“My friend, you may be a different me, but you’re still me. These guys need a leader.” Aaron said, patting the double’s back. He pulled out his notepad and quickly wrote down all the supplies they needed and handed the paper to the double.

“What…”

“Come on. Lead. Give it a try.” Aaron said proudly, taking a step back. The double looked over and saw his Gabriel sulking in the corner while Scarecrow, Enty, and Gabriel were examining a hole in the wall, with Enty trying to stick his head in.

They needed a leader indeed. He took in a breath and looed at the paper in his hands.

“O-ok guys…we have two cars…Gabriel and Gabriel, you go to the hardware store and pick up these wires and springs…” He said, jotting down the items on a separate paper and handing it to his Gabriel, who took it reluctantly.

“Look, I really don’t want to be involve-”

“I know you, Layman. You probably caused these people a lot of trouble.” Aaron’s double said sternly. The more he talked, the firmer his voice got. Gabriel’s double looked down and avoided his gaze. “I’d say it’s only fair you help a bit to make up for it. Am I wrong?”

“N-no…”

“Right. Take the one car and go. Time is of the essence!” He yelled brightly as the two Gabriel’s walked by. Original Aaron stopped Gabriel’s double as he passed and leaned close.

“If I find out you hurt him in _any_ way, I am going to do way more damage than I did the first time. I laid you out once, and I can do it again…” Aaron growled. The double swallowed nervously and nodded, slinking away. Aaron stopped his Gabriel and handed him the sheathed dagger that Elderane had given him.

“What is…”

“In case he tries anything. Elderane isn’t here to show off with the dagger, but I know you have some skill. Don’t let him try anything.” Aaron said. Gabriel took the dagger and nodded as he slid away and followed his double.

“Ok. Enty and Scarecrow, you take the other car and go here…we need some parts from the watchmaker downtown.” Aaron’s double said.

“Wait, how can they afford those parts?” Original Aaron said, knowing the fine machine pieces would be expensive.

“We got it covered.” Scarecrow said slyly as he pulled out a credit card.

“Where did you…”

“Stole it from Elderane when he was unconscious.” Scarecrow said with a snicker. Aaron couldn’t help but laugh. Scarecrow was still Scarecrow…

“Right. Good job, I’ll see you in a bit!” Aaron’s double said as Scarecrow and Enty slid out the door. The house was now quiet. Original Aaron looked smugly at his double.

“What’s that look for?”

“Told you that you could be a leader.”

“They…did listen didn’t they.”

“They did and they will keep doing it if you do it right. They need a leader but also a friend. I know your Gabriel is…difficult…”

“You have no idea…”

“But didn’t you notice? He helped. Even if it was a little bit, he helped. That’s progress.”

“I…yes, you are right.”

“He just needs guidance. Something tells me he’s been around the wrong people for much too long. Be that new example for him.”

“But…it’s so much work…”

“Drink more coffee. It’ll help. It’s how I deal with the Scarecrow in my world.”

“Oh, God, if we are all opposites, then your Crow must be…”

“Yeah. Just…yeah.”

The double took in a slow breath as they descended to the basement.

“I…want to thank you.”

“What for?”

“I have lacked motivation for years. Perhaps…this may change things…”

Aaron smiled warmly at his double.

“I believe in you. And remember…change can be slow or fast. Don’t expect things to work out completely right away. Give it time.”

“I shall remember that. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how Elderane is doing...


	12. I Kept Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chances are given. Wounds begin to heal. Time ticks on.

Gabriel and Gabriel were sitting in the car, with alternate dimension Gabriel driving. Neither had spoken a word the entire trip. The double couldn’t take it anymore. He made a quick turn and pulled the car over to the side of the road and shut it off. Gabriel lowered his hand towards his dagger out of reflex as he eyed his double. The man was silent for a moment before he took in a sharp breath.

“So…I’m a fucking nun in your world, then?” He sneered, not breaking his gaze from the windshield.

“Uhh…yeah.”

“Why?”

“I grew up in the monastery. Religion is important to me.”

“It’s dumb.”

“To you, but…it is nice to me. It shows the importance of love.”

The double paused and shook his head.

“You…love your Elderane?” The double asked. Gabriel turned away as his mind became a flustered mess.

“Y-yeah, I…I do…”

“Then…I’m…” The double said, mumbling something unintelligible.

“What?”

“I’M SORRY, ALRIGHT?!” The double screamed, slamming his fist on the wheel. “I MESSED UP!” He yelled. Gabriel could see tears in his eyes.

“What do you…”

“Elderane hurt you, didn’t he?!” The double yelled. Gabriel put his hand to his head where the cane had hit him.

“Y-yeah…”

“Did he…touch you?”

“…he did a bit, yeah. He…he would have done more if Scarecrow hadn’t…hadn’t…” He stopped as his voice cracked. He didn’t want to think about it

“He’s an asshole. I-I’ve put up with him for way too long. It’s…it’s taken its toll…”

“What do you mean?”

“I…just…tell your Elderane I’m sorry, alright?! I can’t make up for what I did but I want him to know I regret it, ok?”

“What did you…”

“JUST TELL HIM AND MOVE ON!” He yelled, turning away. Gabriel eyed him. The double was shaking.

“G-Gabriel, I don’t…”

“Shut up. Just, shut up. I don’t want to hear it. I know what I did and I’m going to have to live with it. Just…” He paused again, eying his confused double. “I’m sorry about Elderane as well. My Elderane.”

“He is…quite scary…”

“He should have never gotten near you…”

“Does he act like that with you all the time?” Gabriel asked, fearfully. His double just avoided his gaze and nodded.

“I let him do it. It’s my own fault.”

“N-no! It’s not! He was manipulative…”

“And I LET HIM MANIPULATE ME!” The double screamed.

“Well…I think the others have your back now.”

“No. They have yours. Not mine. They still hate me…”

“Well…you haven’t done anything to change that.”

“What?”

“Why don’t you do something nice for them?”

The double froze. He recalled the things the alternate Enty told him.

“One nice thing won’t change a fucking thing.”

“No, but that’s why you keep trying. Trust is earned and sometimes…it takes time.”

“What if they never trust me?” The double asked, meeting Gabriel’s gaze. Gabriel paused and shrugged.

“Then at least you tried and went down doing the right thing.” He said with a smile. The double looked away.

“I…wouldn’t even know where to begin…”

“I may…how much money do you have?”

“I have a credit card Elderane gave me.”

“Good. Go to that store over there!” Gabriel said, pointing down the road. The double eyed it.

“Why…?”

“Trust me. You gotta start with a first step, and I know a way to help you take a big one.”

~

A few hours had passed and Scarecrow and Enty had returned. The Aaron’s had started working and were already making progress on the machine. Aaron believed they would be done in a few days. After a while, the Gabriel’s returned.

“Here’s your…science…things…” The double said as he threw a bag to his Aaron, who smiled brightly. Gabriel’s double had to do a double take when he saw his Aaron.

He had changed into something nicer, more reminiscent of what his double was wearing, and his hair was brushed and tied back. He was even wearing his glasses. He had made an effort to do better.

“Ah! Thank you!” He said, descending to the basement. The double just stood by the door. He saw Enty and Scarecrow on the couch, staring at him nervously. The double turned around and met Gabriel’s encouraging gaze. He let out a sigh.

“Alright, you idiot, uh…” The double started as he eyed Scarecrow. “I…” He took in a breath. “I messed up bad. I know I can’t undo what I’ve done, but…” He eyed the bruises on Scarecrow’s skin. “…but I…got you something…as a starting apology.” He said quickly, facing away from the duo.

Scarecrow just looked at him with wide eyes. He had never thought his Gabriel would…apologize.

“Wh-what do you…”

“Just…shut up, alright?” The double said as he started stepping back. “Just get over here.” He said, motioning for Scarecrow to follow. Scarecrow met Enty’s gaze then nodded, following the double. He rounded the corner into the dining room and froze when he saw the double.

He was holding a brand-new guitar in his hands, the paint a shining black. Gabriel’s double was avoiding his gaze as he held the instrument out. Scarecrow felt tears in his eyes. This had to be some trick…

“Just take the damn thing, for the love of God.” The double yelled, thrusting the guitar into Scarecrow’s hands. He shakily took it and looked it over.

It was a shining black with silver linings around the edges. It had all six steel strings and hadn’t a dent or scratch on it. He plucked a string and it resonated beautifully.

“Just…DON’T LOOK TO DEEP INTO IT!” Gabriel’s double yelled. He could see Enty smiling behind the crying Scarecrow. “I MEAN IT!”

“Th-thank…you…” Scarecrow said as he held the instrument close to him. The double rolled his eyes and turned away. He saw the original Gabriel smiling smugly behind him.

“Y-yeah, whatever. Just…don’t be too loud with it…” The double said as he walked away, leaving the trio in the dining room. Gabriel looked back to the now sobbing Scarecrow. Scarecrow was laughing. He was laughing in hysterics. Gabriel felt his heart warm up when he saw Enty mimic the sound. Both Scarecrow and Enty were laughing.

It was an amazing sound.

His double had made an effort. That was progress. Gabriel smiled as he listened to Scarecrow begin to play the instrument with the brightest smile on his face.

Gabriel’s double was watching from around the corner. He saw Enty laughing. He had _never_ heard Enty laugh before. It was such a full and happy sound. He saw Scarecrow sobbing as he messed with the instrument.

He had made his roommates…happy. He had done it. He felt…good.

He felt good.

The double eyed his roommates.

He wanted to do it again.

He… _liked_ this feeling…

~

_Two days later…_

The machine was nearing completion. The Aaron’s gave it one more day. They had worked tirelessly, and Aaron had shown his double the true mental power of an ‘all-nighter’. Both scientists were in a crazed state of coffee and inspiration.

Gabriel was sitting on the couch reading one of Scarecrow’s books when Scarecrow and Enty walked in. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile. Scarecrow looked much livelier. He had a brighter look in his eyes and was smiling much more. His wounds were fading, and he had cleaned his hair up. He was looking close to his own Scarecrow.

The duo were about to make their way to the kitchen when Gabriel’s double slid in. He held a bag in his hands. The trio watched in confusion as he threw the bag towards Enty, the confused man catching it.

“For the uh…trauma…” The double muttered as he quicky slid out of the room and up the stairs. Gabriel heard his door shut. He turned and saw Enty set the bag on the table. He slowly pulled out a new Victorian jacket that looked almost identical to Gabriel’s own Enty’s, except this one was blue. It had silver linings and all the buttons were in place. It was brand new.

Scarecrow and Gabriel smiled when they saw Enty begin laughing. He pulled the jacket close and closed his eyes as tears escaped them. Enty was crying.

Scarecrow stared with amazement.

Their Enty never cried…

Gabriel laughed as Scarecrow helped Enty take off his old jacket and put on the new one. Enty smiled brightly and hugged himself as he took it in. He was feeling…happy.

“I guess…he really is making an effort…” Scarecrow said as he eyed the stairs. He still wasn’t comfortable around his Gabriel. He wouldn’t be for a long time. None of them would. He hurt them. He scared them.

But he was trying.

Scarecrow shook his head. He was willing to give him a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really guys, has anyone seen Elderane?


	13. What's Yet To Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A single story both ends and begins anew. Wounds still exist, but time heals. A new day begins.

_The next day…_

Gabriel’s double walked into the living room. He was alone. He sighed and sat on the couch. He thought about the past few days.

Enty hasn’t taken the jacket off since. He still hasn’t spoken, but he was smiling. He was…laughing. He was happy. Scarecrow was peppy. He was making music and writing new songs. He was happy. His Aaron was working. He was making something. Inventing again. Dreaming again. He was happy.

Gabriel sighed. He…still wasn’t happy.

All his roommates were sorting things out. Why couldn’t he?

It’s because he was a twisted creep. He worked a twisted job and hung with twisted people. He couldn’t just…drop all of that overnight. But…he could try.

He recalled the smile on Scarecrow’s face as he gave him the guitar. He felt good when he did that. He felt good when he gave Enty the jacket. They hadn’t forgiven him yet, and he didn’t expect them to. He didn’t know what to expect.

He didn’t know who he was anymore.

Everything has changed.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He had tried to change. He was slow. He was bad at it.

But something was telling him he couldn’t stop. He still felt guilty, though, like every kindness he did was fake. Pretend.

He let out a small laugh. Maybe he’d just have to keep pretending.

A loud slam snapped him back to reality. He sat up and felt his blood freeze when he saw his Elderane standing _very_ angrily in the doorway. The elf walked in and slammed the door shut behind him. Gabriel’s double stood up shakily and began backing away. He hit the wall as the elf approached. He was cornered.

“You _ignore_ my calls, you _ignore_ my texts, you _ignore me_ …” The elf said angrily, holding his cane up above his head. Gabriel let out a cry of pain as the thin black wood struck his face, causing him to stumble sideways as he gripped his cheek. He felt blood.

“Eld, please!” He cried, but Elderane just threw a punch his way, hitting his side. Gabriel’s double hunched over as he gasped for breath, gripping his stomach. Elderane grabbed Gabriel’s jacket lapel and pulled him up, pinning him against the wall.

“You work for _me,_ love. Understand? I _own_ you.” He said, slapping the double’s face hard. He just let out a whimper as Elderane pinned him back. “You worthless, no-good, do-nothing _loser_ …” He sneered, throwing his hand towards the double’s throat. The double threw his hands up and held Elderane’s arms, hoping to push him away, but Elderane only gripped tighter.

“N-no…”

“SHUT UP!” The elf screamed throwing the double to the floor. Gabriel landed with a hard thud as he gasped for breath. He slid away with wide eyes as Elderane approached him. “I gave you everything, and _this_ is how you repay me?” He yelled, kicking the double hard. “Your worthless roommate got one hit on me. I’ll make him pay for that…”

“Y-you won’t hurt him…” Gabriel’s double coughed as he struggled to his knees. Elderane let out a scream and kicked the double again. Gabriel tasted blood in his mouth.

“You _don’t_ tell _me_ what to _do…”_ The elf sneered as Gabriel coughed. “I tell _you_ what to do, you _obey,_ and everyone’s _happy…”_

“N-no one was happy here…” Gabriel sneered back as he looked up through tears.

“No? Well…good thing I don’t care.” Elderane laughed as he walked forward, stepping on the double’s wrist as Gabriel let out a shrill cry of pain. The double tried to hit Elderane’s leg off him, but he wouldn’t budge. “You really have misbehaved lately…I can’t let all that go _unpunished…”_ He said coldly.

Gabriel let out a soundless scream as Elderane put all his weight down onto the double’s wrist. He felt a sharp agonizing pain in his hand as he heard a horrid snap. The double felt tears stream from his eyes as jagged fire shot up his arm. He couldn’t breathe as he sobbed. He gripped Elderane's pant leg tighter with his other hand.

Elderane kneeled lower, stroking the double’s trembling face softly.

“You _really_ need to learn to list-”

“STOP!”

Elderane spun around to see Enty running towards him. Before he could protest, he let out a choked cry as Enty rammed into him, sending him flying to the side. Gabriel’s double gasped for air and pulled his throbbing wrist closer to his chest as he sobbed and huddled in on himself. He looked up with teary vision as Enty, Scarecrow, and his Aaron placed themselves between him and Elderane. The elf staggered to his feet and eyed the group blocking him.

“You all are fucking lunatics…” He sneered, backing up. He let out a cry as he backed into the original Gabriel, who stared sharply at him as he held his dagger out towards him. “W-what…” Elderane stuttered, seeing the second Gabriel. He made a move for the other direction, but the second Aaron stepped out. He held Elderane’s cane threatingly in his hands.

Elderane was surrounded.

“H-HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?!” He screamed as he backed up. No one spoke as they edged closer to him. “Y-you’re making a big mistake!” He yelled, pointing to Gabriel’s double on the floor. The double flinched and let out a small whimper at the yell. His three roommates stepped closer together, blocking him from his view.

The double looked up through pained vision at the scene. They were defending him. His roommates were defending him.

“Leave.” Enty said coldly, pointing towards the door. Elderane was about to protest, but the original Gabriel stepped forward and held the dagger out towards him, pointed at his throat.

“Y-you wouldn’t _dare…”_ Elderane said as he began backing away. Gabriel said nothing as he kept edging forward. Elderane looked around the group. He was severely outnumbered. Letting out a frustrated cry, he ran out the door. Aaron slammed it shut behind him and locked it.

“Heh. I already called the cops.” Scarecrow said as he looked towards the door.

“Won’t he get away?” Aaron asked. Scarecrow just laughed.

“I set his car on fire.” He said proudly. Aaron smiled. The group heard a pained groan and turned to the Gabriel on the floor. He was crying as he held his wrist close to himself. His Aaron slid over and the other Gabriel handed him the med kit he found.

The double looked up at him confused as Aaron began tending to his arm.

“I can’t fix it, I think it’s broken, but once I get it stabilized, I’m taking you to the hospital, alright?” He said. The double just stared in disbelief and nodded through tears.

Scarecrow kneeled beside him.

“He won’t come back. I promise. He _won’t_ hurt us again.” He said with a warm smile. Gabriel’s double just nodded through gritted teeth. The pain was unbearable as Aaron touched his wrist.

“I’m sorry we didn’t intervene sooner, we didn’t hear…” Gabriel said, sheathing his dagger.

“W-why d-did you?” The double asked, his throat tight. He still tasted blood.

“Friend.” Enty said flatly, kneeling beside him. The double just stared.

“B-but all I did…”

“Isn’t forgiven yet. But you are trying and…it’s not your fault you got roped in with that creep. We are all going to work to be better, and that includes you.” Aaron’s double said as he worked. “We all were at low points in different ways. We didn’t know how to cope. We do now.”

“And that is…?”

“We act like a family. Look out for each other instead of hurting each other. Make an effort to do better. To be better.” He said, earning a nod from the others. The double just looked down and avoided their gazes. “You can leave if you want, but…” Aaron said, eying the others. “You are welcome here no matter what. We’ll be there to help you get through this.”

The double looked around him. He saw compassion in his Aaron’s eyes. Enty was smiling warmly. Scarecrow was smiling warmly. They were…caring about him.

He couldn’t stop the tears from falling this time. He hid his face with his other hand as the tears fell. His mind was a mess. He couldn’t think.

He lowered his hand when he felt someone touch him. He looked next to him. Enty was hugging him. He was being touched and it didn’t hurt. Feeling himself give in, he let out a sob and leaned against Enty as he cried.

For the next few moments, he just laid there in silence as tears fell from his eyes.

For the first time in years…he felt…safe.

~

Aaron and Gabriel stood before the TV. The newly made device was sitting on the coffee table. The others from the alternate dimension were standing back. The duo smiled. They looked happy.

Enty hadn’t stopped smiling and was beginning to talk more. Aaron had way more energy and actually cleaned the house as well. Scarecrow was regaining his confidence as he had been playing the guitar nonstop. He also began showing an interest in some…pyrotechnical concepts.

Gabriel hung to the side a bit, but he looked more relaxed. He had taken off the leather jacket and was just wearing a band t-shirt now. He looked more comfortable with himself. He held his arm in his hand, as it had a cast on it. It was broken, but he couldn’t feel the pain anymore at the moment due to the medicine. He had a small smile on his face as he eyed the cast. Enty had made the others sign it.

Aaron couldn’t help but feel his heart warm at the scene.

They were going to be alright.

“We…really can’t thank you enough…” Scarecrow said sadly. He was going to miss them.

“Aww, thanks guys. But you all are set to go. Just remember…” Aaron said, meeting the other Aaron’s gaze. “…take your time. Don’t rush. It’ll all work out, I promise.”

“We will be careful.” The other Aaron said.

Aaron was about to lift the device when the other Gabriel slid forward and leaned close.

“Please…apologize to Elderane for me…I…I really am sorry…I wasn’t thinking right…” He whispered, his voice breaking. Aaron placed a reassuring hand on his shouder.

“He is forgiving, I assure you. I will let him know. And…I am sorry for punching you in the face.”

“No, no I deserved it. Both times…” He said with a small smile. Aaron laughed as the double backed away to stand beside his friends.

“Please, just be careful you guys? And me- if you get a strange vision of some device that kinda looks like this one…” Aaron said, motioning towards the machine on the table. “…don’t make it. Trust me. You do not want to deal with that scenario.”

“I…I will keep that in mind…” The other Aaron muttered, confused.

“You take care as well!” Scarecrow said brightly. “Thank you, Gabriel, for liking my music…”

“It’s gonna take you far!” Gabriel said with a wink. He stepped back closer to Aaron. They stopped as Enty ran forward and pulled them both into a hug.

“Thank you…” He muttered quietly as tears streamed down his face. The others pulled away and smiled.

“Take care of them, alright?” Aaron said. Enty nodded and backed away.

They were gonna be alright.

“Right. I think we’ve kept the others waiting long enough…” Aaron said, picking up the device. Gabriel nodded and clung to Aaron’s shoulder as he began messing with the switches. The group before them stood back and waved as the ringing appeared and the strange light engulfed the duo.

After a moment, the sound and light faded, and all was silent.

The group looked forward and saw the duo gone. They were home.

“Right. Well. I’m gonna…go clean out my room…” Gabriel said as he sauntered upstairs. “I wanna get rid of all traces and influence from that demented creep…”

“I can help! You’ll need it with that wrist of yours.” Aaron said brightly, following him.

“You just have unlimited energy now, don’t yah?” Gabriel sad with a laugh.

“Isn’t it great?”

“Heh, sure. House does look good, I’ll admit.”

“So…what are you gonna do now?”

“Dunno. I quit my job. I have free time now…”

“Well…whatever you choose to do, we’ll be there to support you.”

“Th-thanks…”

“Hey guys, I wrote a new song! Want me to play it while you work?” Scarecrow yelled excitedly. Gabriel let out a long sigh as he twisted his door handle.

“Y-yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Really?!”

“Do it before I change my mind.”

Scarecrow smiled brightly and ran to his room, grabbing his guitar. Gabriel began cleaning his room out and getting rid of all traces of his dark past. Aaron and Enty helped him as he cleaned. Scarecrow ran in and jumped on the bed, guitar in hand.

“I think you’ll like this one!” He said as he adjusted the tuning.

“Yeah, yeah, just play.” Gabriel said quietly. He turned away from the group as Scarecrow started playing softly.

_“A lonely boy, a handful of dreams…cold wind blows through a heart wired-in…”_

Gabriel paused as he faced away. He saw Enty and Aaron smiling out of the corner of his eye. He…really had been missing out on this for all these years…

_“Open skies he would explore…no, there ain't no mastery…of a passion and a deep blue love”_

Gabriel felt tears threaten to escape his eyes. He had been so cruel. So cold. He hurt so many people, and yet…

_“Yearn to see faraway places…one day he'd feel two hearts collide…in his eyes tears and desire”_

Here he was with three lunatics by his side. They…they stuck by him after the hell he put them through. He listened to Scarecrow sing softly, his words taking him away.

_“But he prays, and he swears every night…”_

He thought back to the alternate dimension. How he longed for what they had.

_“One day scales will fall from her eyes…”_

He smiled as a tear escaped his eye. More followed. He couldn’t stop them anymore.

_“Just with a dream and with a song…on my own I may stumble and fall…”_

He had found how to get what they had. He was on his way there. He had found his family.

_“It don't matter at all when you're blessed with just what's yet to come…”_

He found genuine love.

“ _What’s yet to come…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...What about original Elderane though? Someone should check on him...


	14. On The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elderane has once again lost everything.

Scarecrow sat at Aaron’s desk in the dim lamplight. He felt his throat tighten as tears formed behind his eyes. Letting out an anguished scream, he slammed his fists down onto the wooden desk, scattering the small bits of fine machinery around.

He threw his hands to his head and hid his face as tears escaped his eyes and streamed down his face. He couldn’t do this.

_He couldn’t do this._

The broken dimensional machine sat before him, still nowhere near completion. He had tried to fix it. He had tried to follow Aaron’s schematics, but Aaron seemed to write in a code only he understood. Scarecrow didn’t understand a thing. He didn’t have the slightest clue how to fix the machine, let alone alter it so it would go with him to the other dimension.

He had been trying for three days with no luck

Three days.

Three days his friends have been missing. Three days of silence. Three days with no sleep.

Scarecrow couldn’t bring himself to sleep. He had been working on the machine slowly for all three days and made _no_ progress.

He couldn’t do it. He may look like him, but he wasn’t Aaron.

Scarecrow leaned back and ran his hand through his messy hair as tears filled his eyes. Aaron was their only chance at getting Gabriel home and now they _both_ were gone.

Had…he just lost two of his friends forever?

He looked through teary vision at the desk before him. He saw one of Aaron’s many pocket watches there. Scarecrow felt something tight wrap around his heart as he stared. He never admitted it to them, but these guys were his family. The only family he ever had.

He couldn’t lose them…

And yet…he had.

They both were gone.

Scarecrow looked over and stared blankly at a framed drawing that sat by Aaron’s toolbox. It was a really childish drawing of the five of them. Had Enty drawn that? He stared at the odd art. Aaron had framed it, whatever it was. He cared about them so much. He risked everything for them time and time again. He gave everything to go get Gabriel back.

And now Scarecrow could never repay him.

Taking in a shaky breath, he slowly pulled himself to his feet. He felt his vision spin as he did so. He hadn’t slept at all. His mind was a disaster.

Although…he was still doing better than Elderane.

Scarecrow climbed the stairs and reached the top, slowly pushing the door open. He saw Elderane in the same place he always was.

The elf was on the floor, leaning against the couch before the place his friends had vanished. He hadn’t moved since Aaron left. He refused.

He refused to sleep.

He refused to eat.

Scarecrow slid over quietly and eyed Elderane. The elf didn’t acknowledge him. He just stared blankly at the floor with red, swollen, and tearstained eyes. He hadn’t stopped crying since day one.

Scarecrow felt sharp pains of hurt stab his heart as he stared. Elderane looked horrible. He was pale and his hair was an absolute mess. He hadn’t eaten or hardly drank anything, so he looked sickly. He looked visibly weak. His eyes were tired.

He had lost everything.

Scarecrow stood back with teary vision as he stared at his friend. He couldn’t stand seeing him like that. He looked close to death.

He heard a shuffling and saw Enty slowly slide down the stairs and enter the room. He looked just as bad as Scarecrow did. Enty was still crying. Scarecrow looked at him sadly and Enty just took in another sharp breath and turned away to walk back upstairs. He was crying, but his flames were flickering weakly.

He hadn’t left his room hardly at all. He just kept returning downstairs to check if his friends were back, then leave. His visits were becoming sparce.

Enty was losing hope.

Letting out a broken sigh, Scarecrow kneeled beside Elderane. He really looked sick. His eyes just stared blankly ahead, unseeing. Scarecrow waved his hand in front of them, but Elderane didn’t react. He looked like Gabriel when he was meditating, only worse.

“Eld, come on…Gabriel wouldn’t want you doing this to yourself…” Scarecrow said softly. Elderane didn’t even blink. His breathing was almost nonexistent with how quiet and small his breaths were. He really looked almost dead. “Eld, please, Gabriel is-”

“Gabriel’s dead.” Elderane said flatly, his gaze not breaking. Scarecrow leaned back with shocked eyes.

“Eld, no, _please_ …” Scarecrow said brokenly, lightly nudging the elf. Elderane stopped responding. He just stared blankly beyond Scarecrow. “Eld, listen to me!” Scarecrow yelled, but Elderane just remained stationary, his breathing nearly gone. Scarecrow noticed.

“Eld, please! Don’t do this!” Scarecrow pleaded. Elderane just slowly leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Elderane!” Scarecrow yelled, tears falling from his eyes. Elderane didn’t respond. Panicking, Scarecrow put his head against Elderane’s chest.

He couldn’t hear breathing.

~

Elderane just stared at the floor as he breathed slow and shallow breaths. Gabriel was his life. His best friend. He had thought he lost him so many times before, and now…

He had lost him again.

He recalled the first time…when Gabriel had been pulled from Avantasia to this modern world. He had been missing for months and Elderane couldn’t see him anywhere.

He had just vanished, like he had been erased from existence.

Elderane went out searching with his guards every day, but to no avail. They found no traces, no footprints, no clues, nothing. Gabriel was just…gone.

Elderane was broken. He had mourned for his last friend. He had thought him dead.

But then one day…he could sense him. He could hear him. He knew he was alive. He was far away, but he was alive. And eventually…he found his way back to him.

He had found Elderane again.

Elderane felt more tears escape his eyes as he pondered the memories.

Now Gabriel was lost once more, and this time…he may never come home.

Elderane needed Gabriel. He was his everything. He was his love.

He had…never told him that, though. He had never told him.

Now he may never get the chance.

Elderane had lost so many friends before in his lifetime. He had seen so much death. He thought of Lugaid, killed on the way to save Gabriel’s sister. He thought of Regrin, killed by the beast guarding the chalice.

He hadn’t accepted that they had died. He had held on to hope for so long. Where did it get him? He spent days in his room, waiting for his friends to return to him. They had to. They were strong. He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

They never came back.

Now here he was…waiting for Gabriel.

He was waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

It had been three days, and his friend was still missing.

Now _he_ may never come back.

Elderane tried to hold his hope close, but…dark thoughts just kept returning to him.

What if that world is fundamentally different, and Aaron can’t build the machine again? What if they become eternally stuck there? What if they had died there? What if…

What if they are forced to live there? Create a new home in the strange world?

What if…

Elderane took in a sharp breath as his heart sunk deeper in his chest, the tendrils of sorrow pulling it deeper into the darkness.

What if Gabriel replaces him?

What if Gabriel decides to stay with Elderane’s counterpart instead? What if he moves on? Loves someone else? What if he _chooses_ to stay there?

…

What if he forgets him?

Elderane threw his hand to his mouth as he choked back a sob, though tears still streamed down his face.

What if Gabriel…stops loving him?

The duo had never admitted it to each other, but…they both knew.

They both knew.

But now…would Gabriel forget?

…If he was alive at all?

Elderane felt what was left of his heart break away.

He couldn’t keep this up. He needed his Gabriel. He was his world. He was all he had left.

Elderane stared at the empty floor.

Gabriel was gone.

Elderane had nothing left.

Elderane closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

There was nothing here for him.

…

As he started to let himself fade, an odd ringing filled the air.


	15. Close to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tale's twists begin to settle. Tears are cried...emotions are shown...but is everything as it should be?

Scarecrow sat back with tears flowing down his face as he stared at the immobile Elderane.

This couldn’t be happening…

He was about to reach for his phone to call the hospital when a familiar ringing filled the air. He slid back and shielded his eyes as a bright light filled the room. After a moment, the ringing and light faded.

Scarecrow let out a hearty laugh and felt himself smile wider than he ever has in his life when he looked up through teary vision.

He saw _his_ Gabriel and _his_ Aaron standing in front of the TV, rubbing their eyes as they got their bearings. Scarecrow turned away as tears slid down his face. He was sobbing. He was sobbing and smiling.

Gabriel blinked a few times and cleared his vision, taking in the sight around him.

He was in their living room.

 _Their_ living room.

He was home. His smile immedetly faded when he saw a sickly looking Elderane on the floor against the couch.

“Elderane!” Gabriel cried, kneeling before his friend. Elderane didn’t respond. His eyes were shut, and he was pale. “Elderane…?” Gabriel cried weakly, shaking his friend. He didn’t respond.

Gabriel felt his world fall apart at he took in the sight. He had just gotten home…Elderane couldn’t be gone…

Gabriel raised his hands shakily and placed them on both sides of Elderane’s face. He was cold. Gabriel felt warm tears escape his eyes as he stared.

What had _happened?_

Letting out a sob, Gabriel pulled his friend closer, holding him tight as he cried. Elderane didn’t embrace back. Gabriel couldn’t hear anything as he screamed and clung tighter. He couldn’t have lost his Elderane…

He froze.

A gasp. He had heard a small gasp.

He pulled back and stared with teary vision at Elderane. He was breathing. He was breathing!

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh as he heard Elderane let out a pained groan and slowly open his eyes.

Elderane blinked his blurry vision a few times as the world came crashing back to him.

He had thought he had heard…

His eyes widened when he saw a blurry figure in front of him, smiling wide as tears slid down his face.

It…it couldn’t be…

“Elderane!” Gabriel cried, edging closer. Elderane didn’t speak. He couldn’t believe it. It must be a trick. An illusion. It wasn’t real. He saw the illusion look at him with concern. “Y-you’re hurt…” He muttered, noticing the large bruise lining Elderane’s neck.

Gabriel raised his hands slowly and gently placed them on the bruise, running his hand over them softly.

Elderane felt tears form behind his eyes.

That was…Gabriel’s touch. His soft touch…

“Are you alright?” Gabriel asked worriedly. Elderane just raised his hands slowly and cupped Gabriel’s cheeks as he stared at him.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Gabriel was home.

He had found him again.

“M-my love…” Elderane cried, pulling Gabriel into a tight hug, his tears flowing freely. Gabriel froze in a flustered mess as he heard the words from Elderane. Words he had thought but never said. He smiled wide as he cried, throwing his arms tightly around Elderane as he sobbed.

They held each other tightly as they cried, with Gabriel burying his face in his Elderane’s shoulder.

His Elderane.

His gentle Elderane.

Elderane couldn’t speak as he held his friend. He felt his hair, his friend’s soft hair. Gabriel was here. He had found him. He was alive.

Aaron smiled warmly as he watched his friends embrace on the floor in hysterics. He looked up and saw Scarecrow there, facing away from him. Aaron smiled as he approached. He could see the blackened tears staining Scarecrow’s face. Scarecrow quickly wiped his eyes and regained his composure as he faced Aaron, who paused in front of him.

“So…you missed me?” Aaron said slyly, raising an eyebrow. Scarecrow sputtered a moment and faced away, his mind reeling.

“Y-yeah…” He muttered, trying to look composed. Aaron smiled wider and reached forward, pulling him into a hug. Scarecrow just stared ahead with wide and teary eyes as Aaron held him. Scarecrow took in a sharp breath and reluctantly hugged back, taking in the feeling.

His friends were home.

After a moment, they pulled away and looked over to see Gabriel helping Elderane stand. Scarecrow walked past Aaron towards Gabriel as Elderane took a step back to wipe his eyes. Gabriel smiled warmly at his friend.

Scarecrow missed that smile.

“G-glad you aren’t…dead…” He said quietly, avoiding Gabriel’s eyes. Gabriel smiled and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight as he buried his face into his shoulder.

“I missed you…” Gabriel muttered through tears as Scarecrow slowly put a hand on his friend’s back. He had…missed him…

A new noise alerted the group. They turned to see Enty hiding behind the corner as he looked wearily towards Gabriel.

Gabriel saw his friend and smiled brightly.

Enty knew that smile.

“G-GABRIEL!” Enty cried, running across the room as he tackled his friend, holding him tight. Gabriel just laughed as Enty sobbed, his shadows flaring wildly. After a minute, Enty looked up and saw Aaron smiling next to him. “AARON!” he cried, grabbing the scientist by his jacket, and yanking him towards the hug. Enty cried as he held his two friends tightly.

Scarecrow stood back as he tired to keep his tears down. He saw Elderane still crying as he wavered on his feet.

“Oi, pointy.” Scarecrow said, nearing the elf. Elderane turned to look at him. “The time capsule is back, now go, eat something before I have to call the hospital.” He said, holding his phone up. Elderane smiled weakly and nodded. Scarecrow helped him walk to the kitchen.

After Enty got his hugs out of his system, he released Aaron and Gabriel as they got their bearings. Scarecrow entered and leaned against the couch.

“You look tired.” Aaron said, noticing the…familiar exhaustion in his friend’s eyes. Scarecrow just shook his head.

“I don’t know how you do those all-nighters…” He muttered. Aaron smiled.

“Takes practice.”

After that, Enty and Gabriel met Elderane in the kitchen to eat something. Together.

They were together.

Aaron went down to his basement and paused when he saw the machine and its parts strewn about his desk. He hadn’t put that there…

“I…I tried to fix it…” Scarecrow said quietly, leaning against the wall. Aaron looked at him amazed.

“Y-you? You tried to…fix it?” He said, nearly speechless. Scarecrow just nodded.

“I can’t read your damn writing, you moron. How the hell do you expect anyone else to read it?!”

“I intentionally did that, Crow. Stuff like this is dangerous.”

“And yet…you mess with it.”

“I’m sorry, alright?” Aaron said, facing Scarecrow. “I…I was careless. We almost lost Gabe and it was my fault. I…I’m sorry…”

“Oh, shut it, clockwork. We know you are. Though…I think a certain elf upstairs could use one more apology.” Scarecrow said, motioning towards the stairs. Aaron let out a breath. Yeah, he did owe one more to him. Several more actually.”

“Let them relax a bit first…I think they could use a break…”

“I need a break. I’m going to sleep for a week. God almighty, I’ll leave the all-nighters to you.” Scarecrow said, heading for the stairs. Aaron just smiled with a laugh as he turned to face his desk. He had a machine to dismantle. “Oh, and Aaron?”

Aaron turned and saw Scarecrow leaning around the corner by the stairs. He was looking down.

“Thanks for looking out for us.” He said quickly before vanishing up the stairs. Aaron heard the basement door shut. He smiled warmly as he walked to his desk.

Scarecrow really cared enough that he tried to learn dimensional theory to get them back…

Aaron needed to stop underestimating Scarecrow. That man didn’t have limits.

Aaron sat as his familiar desk and took in a long breath, cleansing his mind of the past few days. Their counterparts were going to be ok.

 _They_ were going to be ok.

Everything was going to be ok.

Aaron was about to remove his glasses when he caught sight of the framed drawing the child Enty had made him. He smiled as he looked at it.

It was nice to know that nothing could keep his family apart, not even time, space, or dimensions.

He removed his glasses and leaned back, taking in the familiar ticking of his clocks around him.

~

_Later that night…_

Gabriel was alone in his room getting ready for bed when he heard a knock on the door. He turned and saw Scarecrow standing there, avoiding his gaze.

“Crow, wha-”

Gabriel was cut off as Scarecrow slid in and closed the door after him. He walked up to Gabriel and pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close.

“C-Crow…”

“I…I missed you…” He muttered through tears. Gabriel froze. Scarecrow was sobbing. He never cried like this in front of them…

“Crow, it-it’s ok…”

“I’m so _sorry_ , Gabe…”

“What on earth for?”

“All the times I hurt you…all the pain, and the…the teasing, and…I just…” He paused as he took in a sharp breath, pondering his past. “I don’t know what I’d do without you…”

Gabriel just took the hug as Scarecrow cried. He…really missed him…

“I…I don’t know _where_ I’d be without you…” He muttered, holding his friend tighter. Gabriel smiled and returned the embrace, pulling his friend close. Scarecrow just sobbed again as he held his first friend close to his heart. Gabriel meant the world to him, and…he was worried he’d never get the chance to say it.

“Th-that means a lot, Crow…” Gabriel said through a tight voice. Scarecrow just laughed as he cried. For a few minutes, they just stood there, taking it in.

“Just…promise me you’ll never change?” Scarecrow said, pulling away. His face had long black tearstains running down from both eyes. Gabriel smiled and nodded. Scarecrow wiped his eyes and nodded back, taking in a sharp breath.

“Go get some sleep, alright? You look horrid.”

“Th-thanks, Gabe…” He said with a laugh. Scarecrow turned and began walking towards the door, though he froze when he saw it pull closed. He slid out of the room to see Enty standing by the door, a smug grin on his face. Scarecrow just stared at him blankly.

“You say a word to _anyone,_ I torch your bed. Got it?” Scarecrow threatened, his voice still tight. Enty just laughed and nodded.

“I knew you cared.” Enty said softly. Before Scarecrow could protest, Enty slid back to his own room, leaving Scarecrow in the hall. He shook his head and took a cleansing breath.

He needed sleep badly.

~

Elderane walked out of the bathroom and was about to enter Gabriel’s room when Aaron stopped him.

“W-wha…”

“I…I am so sorry, Eld…really, I am…I…” He paused as he pushed down tears. “I would have never done it if I had known…” he said. “He…we almost lost him, and it was my…my…”

Aaron was cut off as Elderane pulled him into a hug.

“You brought him home, Aaron. All is forgiven.” He said softly. Aaron felt himself break and he clung back as tears escaped his eyes. They stood in the dark hall for a moment before pulling away.

“A-also…the uh…other Gabriel…he…he wanted to apologize as well…” Aaron said, turning away. Elderane just stared at him.

“I will…uh…consider it…” He said, rubbing his neck. Aaron nodded and gave him a smile.

“Please, just…get some rest. You look worse than Scarecrow…”

“I shall, thank you Aaron…thank you…” he muttered as Aaron nodded and vanished into his own room. Elderane held his neck again and took in a long breath. Shaking his head, he entered Gabriel’s room.

The two got ready for bed and were laying there side-by-side as Gabriel extinguished the last light. He turned and faced Elderane.

“He…he hurt you…didn’t he…” Gabriel asked, eying the bruise on Elderane’s neck. Elderane just nodded and looked away.

“Did…I, er...he hurt you…? Elderane asked. He saw the bandage on Gabriel’s forehead. Gabriel nodded as well. For a moment they laid in silence. They both knew what had happened to the other.

It was obvious.

“I would never treat you that way…” Gabriel said, facing Elderane. The elf met his gaze.

“Nor would I…not ever…”

“Eld…I need to tell you what happened…”

“Don’t. It wasn’t your fault.”

“B-but I let him-”

“It wasn’t your fault. I don’t care what happened. I don’t. All I care about is that you are here…you are safe…you are alive.”

“Th-thanks…” Gabriel muttered, edging closer to his friend. They were both shaken by the events of the past few days, but they had each other to help heal. They would heal together. Gabriel let out a long breath and placed his arm over Elderane, who returned the gesture. They closed their eyes and drifted to sleep as a gentle rain began falling outside the window.

They had each other, and nothing was going to change that.

Nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, did ya'll think I'd take the fic this far?


	16. Final Curtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is more than to love.

Gabriel was awoken by a loud clash of thunder. He opened his eyes and groggily sat up. It was thunder storming quite harshly outside. Bright flashes of lightning were repeatedly lighting up the room with almost no break in-between as the rain pounded against the window.

He was about to fall back asleep when he heard a whimper. He looked beside him to see Elderane stirring restlessly in his sleep, muttering unintelligible words softly as he twitched. He had a look of distress on his face.

He was having a nightmare.

Gabriel had never seen Elderane have a nightmare before.

Taking in a slow breath, he fixed the blankets around his friend and pulled them higher as he edged closer to Elderane. The elf still was whimpering as Gabriel got close.

Not knowing what else to do, he pulled his friend towards him and rested his forehead against Elderane’s, placing his arm around his shoulder. Gabriel closed his eyes and stroked his friend’s long hair as he slept.

As Gabriel held him close, Elderane seemed to calm as his noises of distress faded away. Gabriel smiled when the only sound the elf made was his soft breathing.

Gabriel let out his own breath and let sleep take him as he held his friend tight, the sound of the storm fading away as calming serenity took over.

They were going to be alright.

They had each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THATS IT!  
> That concludes my Halloween fics! Hope yall liked em ;)
> 
> This one was heavy and took a toll lol. I think I owe yall some funshots...
> 
> SOME INFO/BACKGROUND:  
> -Alt Gabe was definitely working for Elderane in a uhh....intimate business. He no longer works there.  
> -Parallels I liked: OG Eld/Gab have genuine love, while alternate dimension (AD) Eld/Gab have a horrid abusive relationship. Notice how OG Eld/Gab do the Soft Hair Stroke while AD Gab is yanking OG Eld's hair harshly. OG Gab is a monk basically, an AD Gab is...well...definitely not.  
> -AD Enty was emotionless prior to the fic. He never spoke nor engaged with the others. How he ended up living with them, I don't know. He never showed emotion before this.  
> -AD Gab was never...inappropriate with AD Scarecrow. He just hurt him physically. AD Eld on the other hand...he did. (Pls go punch him)  
> -AD Crow is my babey and I love him. He just wants Love and to make music.  
> -AD Crow lived there because he was easy to control and manipulate. AD Eld liked that.  
> -OG Gab is not going to forgive himself for a while. Eld already has and will help him forgive himself when he's ready.  
> -AD Gab is only tough because AD Eld is always telling him he's weak and worthless. He's sick of it, so when he gets the chance to take his anger out on OG Eld, he goes for it. He genuinely regrets it post.  
> -OG Gab was OG Crow's first friend. They have a special connection that I love. Crow hates crying in front of people, especially groups, but he will cry like that in front of Gab sometimes because he really trusts him.  
> -The AD gang figures things out in time and end up just as chaotic as the OG group is. They eventually learn to be a real family.  
> -Eld tries to come back once more, but Scarecrow learns what molotov cocktails are and...well...you get the picture. Eld doesn't bother them again.  
> -The theory: The world itself wasn't reversed, just the personalities of the people. Walmarts still exist and cats are still cute.  
> -Their PERSONALITIES change, not their beings. AD Aaron is still an inventor, but his motivations are totally different. AD Crow still likes his rock music (and eventual pyro) but he has confidence issues. AD Enty is emotionless, but still compassionate (when he learns what that means). AD Gabe still holds his beliefs strong, they are just different.  
> -AD Elderane 100% was kicked out of Avantasia. You can guess why.  
> -Will we see these AD fellas again? Who knows! Not regularly, I'll tell yah, but...if you want...maybe a special short could happen to just...check up on them.  
> LAST THOUGHT:  
> -Man...that spot by the TV sure is reminiscent of a certain someone's kitchen microwave...I wonder if this will ever come back...or mean anything...hmm...


End file.
